25 Jan 2023
Election Bills
House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee (“Con Laws”) heard a series of election bills Thursday, January 25, at 9:00 AM in Room 516 of the Blatt Building. Basic information on these bills can be found in the last MDW Update.
The Subcommittee forwarded with a favorable recommendation:
The Subcommittee heard testimony but did not vote on the following:
- H. 4022, Instant Runoff Voting [Municipal Elections] (J. L. Johnson)
- H.4259, Hand Count Audit Act (Harris)
- H.4260, Voter Access and Transparency Act (Harris)
- H.4261, Clean Voter Roll Act (Harris)
- H.4591, Ranked Choice Voting Ban (Taylor)
While H.4022 would be a positive option to achieve greater efficiency in municipal elections, H.4259, H.4260, and H.4261 would be devastating for our already over-burdened election offices and would substantially impair election integrity.
We appreciate those who testified for H.4022 and against H.4259, 4260, 4261, and H.4591. Unfortunately, other testimony reflected the intense distrust of our election systems that has flourished in recent years, at times with more than a hint of racism.
The Subcommittee will meet again to further consider these bills, possibly several times. We cannot afford to ignore these bills and their potentially disastrous impacts.
Judicial Reform
There are reports, although no posted scheduling, that the House Ad Hoc Committee addressing judicial selection reform will meet next week. So far, they have taken testimony only from invited individuals. It is possible that public testimony will be permitted next week. Those who are interested should monitor the House meeting schedule and agendas regularly.
