Relating to the administration of elections, including voter identity verification, straight party voting, and absentee voting, and including applicability provisions

F. This bill relates to the administration of elections, including voter identity verification and straight party voting. The bill removes the requirement that a voter establish the voter’s identity by providing certain documents. The bill also removes the requirement that a registered voter swearing an oath attesting to another voter’s eligibility to vote prove the registered voter’s identity by providing certain documents. The bill repeals the program for the automatic issuance of voter identification cards to registered voters who do not have a driver’s license or nonoperator’s identification card. The bill also allows a voter to vote for all candidates of a single party that has multiple candidates on a ballot by marking a voting target on the first section of the ballot. In cases where more than one person is being elected to a single office, the voter must mark each candidate for whom the voter desires to vote if the candidates do not all belong to the party for which the voter cast a straight party vote. If there is a conflict between a straight party vote and a vote for a candidate not of that party, the vote for the individual candidate controls. The bill removes the requirement that a voter applying for an absentee ballot provide the voter’s voter verification number on the application for an absentee ballot. The bill allows a county commissioner of elections receiving an application for an absentee ballot with insufficient information to use the best means available to obtain the necessary information. The bill applies to elections held on or after the effective date of the bill.