Bill Text: NH HB463 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to the establishment of an election information portal.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-15 - Retained in Committee [HB463 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2023-HB463-Introduced.html
HB 463-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2023 SESSION
23-0484
06/08
HOUSE BILL 463-FN
AN ACT relative to the establishment of an election information portal.
SPONSORS: Rep. M. Paige, Rock. 11; Rep. Telerski, Hills. 11; Rep. Lane, Merr. 16; Rep. Shurtleff, Merr. 15; Rep. Muirhead, Graf. 12
COMMITTEE: Election Law
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ANALYSIS
This bill authorizes the secretary of state to develop an election information portal.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0484
06/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to the establishment of an election information portal.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Statement of Intent. It is the intent of the general court to modernize the application processes for new voter registration, requesting absentee ballots, and requesting changes to name, domicile, and party affiliation in the statewide voter database.
2 New Subdivision; Election Information Portal. Amend RSA 652 by inserting after section 27 the following new subdivision:
Election Information Portal
652:28 Election Information Portal.
I. The secretary of state is hereby authorized to develop, in consultation with the department of information technology, the department of safety, division of motor vehicles, and city and town clerks and supervisors of the checklist, an online election information portal which persons with disabilities and active-duty members of the armed forces may use to:
(a) Complete a new voter application.
(b) Request an absentee ballot.
(c) Request changes to the statewide centralized voter registration database, such as name, domicile address, mailing address, and party affiliation.
II. Persons with disabilities and active-duty members of the armed forces electing to use the portal shall provide the same information and pursuant to the same time frames as outlined in statutes related to voter registration and maintenance of the statewide centralized voter registration database, including RSA 654:7, RSA 654:8, RSA 654:16 through RSA 654:19, and RSA 654:34, except that the information may be provided in a format the secretary of state deems suitable for electronic submission. Any information submitted to the portal shall be handled in a manner consistent with relevant voter and election laws, including RSA 654, and shall be retrievable and printable at any time including during the processing of the information. In addition, nonpublic data related to individual voter data shall remain confidential.
III. The secretary of state shall not implement any election information portal established pursuant to this section, such that persons with disabilities and active-duty members of the armed forces can access or otherwise utilize such portal, until January 1, 2024.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
23-0484
Revised 1/11/23
HB 463-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to the establishment of an election information portal.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
|
| |||
| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | $477,000 | $268,000 | $274,000 |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ X ] Other - Highway Funds | |||
LOCAL: |
|
|
|
|
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
METHODOLOGY:
This bill authorized the Secratry of State to develope an online election information portal, in consultation with the Department of Information Technology, the Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, and city and town clerks and supervisors of the checklist, for persons with disabilities and active-duty members of the armed forces who may use to complete a new voter application, request an absentee ballot and request changes to the statewide centralized voter registration database, such as name, domicile address, mailing address, and party affiliation.
The Department of State indicates this bill increase State General Fund expenditures starting in FY 2024. The Department notes restricting the use of the portal to a subset of NH voters may cause increase costs to verify portal qualifications. The estimated cost to design, build, and test the online election information portal is between $250k to $300k with ongoing maintenance fess of approximately $84,000 per year. The Department also indicates they will need two positions to create and maintain the portal (An Information Technology Manager V, labor grade 32, hired at a step 1 and a Program Assistant III, labor grade 17, hired at a step 1). The Department states the new system would take a minimum of 8 months to design, bid, build, test, and create training materials for the election information portal and the earliest it would be operational is May 2024.
Costs | FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 |
New Portal | $300,000 | $0 | $0 |
Maintenance Fees | $21,000 (3 months) | $84,000 | $84,000 |
Information Technology Manager | $95,000 (10 months) | $113,000 | $117,000 |
Program Assistant | $61,000 (10months) | $71,000 | $73,000 |
Total | $477,000 | $268,000 | $274,000 |
This bill does not provide authorization or an appropriation for new positions.
The Department of Information Technology states they spoke with the Secretary of State's office and confirmed the Department will not require any resources to support this effort.
The Department of Safety states there will be an indeterminable increase on State expenditures. The Department states there is an unknown cost associated with forms, rulemaking, system updates, and the amount Department of Motor Vehicle is tasked with overseeing the process.
The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) states currently voters must go to the town clerk's office to update the information listed in this bill. The NHMA states it is unclear if local election officials would have a role in updating the listed information in the portal. The impact is indeterminable as the NHMA is unsure as to if the change in duties and training would increase or decrease expenditures in the form of compensation and wages.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of State, Department of Information Technology, Department of Safety and New Hampshire Municipal Association
