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To amend sections 3501.22 and 3503.01 of the Revised | 1 |
Code to permit a student at an Ohio institution | 2 |
of higher education to serve as a precinct | 3 |
election official in the county where the student | 4 |
attends school, to permit up to two high school | 5 |
seniors to serve as precinct officers at a | 6 |
polling place with six or more precinct officers, | 7 |
and to permit a board of elections to assign | 8 |
voters who reside in a political subdivision or | 9 |
other district that includes territory in more | 10 |
than one precinct to vote at a special election in | 11 |
another precinct that includes the subdivision's | 12 |
or district's territory. | 13 |
Section 1. That sections 3501.22 and 3503.01 of the Revised | 14 |
Code be amended to read as follows: | 15 |
Sec. 3501.22. (A) On or before the fifteenth day of | 16 |
September in each year, the board of elections by a majority vote | 17 |
shall, after careful examination and investigation as to their | 18 |
qualifications, appoint for each election precinct four residents | 19 |
of the county in which the precinct is located, as judges. Except | 20 |
as otherwise provided in division | 21 |
judges of election shall be qualified electors. The judges shall | 22 |
constitute the election officers of the precinct. Not more than | 23 |
one-half of the total number of judges shall be members of the | 24 |
same political party. The term of such precinct officers shall be | 25 |
for one year. The board may, at any time, designate any number of | 26 |
election officers, not more than one-half of whom shall be members | 27 |
of the same political party, to perform their duties at any | 28 |
precinct in any election. The board may appoint additional | 29 |
officials, equally divided between the two major political | 30 |
parties, when necessary to expedite voting. | 31 |
Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled by the board. | 32 |
When new precincts have been created, the board shall appoint | 33 |
judges for those precincts for the unexpired term. Any judge may | 34 |
be summarily removed from office at any time by the board for | 35 |
neglect of duty, malfeasance, or misconduct in office or for any | 36 |
other good and sufficient reason. | 37 |
Precinct election officials shall perform all of the duties | 38 |
provided by law for receiving the ballots and supplies, opening | 39 |
and closing the polls, and overseeing the casting of ballots | 40 |
during the time the polls are open, and any other duties required | 41 |
by section 3501.26 of the Revised Code. | 42 |
A board of elections may designate two precinct election | 43 |
officials as counting officials to count and tally the votes cast | 44 |
and certify the results of the election at each precinct, and | 45 |
perform other duties as provided by law. To expedite the counting | 46 |
of votes at each precinct, the board may appoint additional | 47 |
officials, not more than one-half of whom shall be members of the | 48 |
same political party. | 49 |
The board shall designate one of the precinct election | 50 |
officials who is a member of the dominant political party to serve | 51 |
as a presiding judge, whose duty it is to deliver the returns of | 52 |
the election and all supplies to the office of the board. For | 53 |
these services, the presiding judge shall receive additional | 54 |
compensation in an amount, consistent with section 3501.28 of the | 55 |
Revised Code, determined by the board of elections. | 56 |
The board shall issue to each precinct election official a | 57 |
certificate of appointment, which the official shall present to | 58 |
the presiding judge at the time the polls are opened. | 59 |
(B) A person who is currently enrolled as a student at an | 60 |
institution of higher education located within Ohio and who is | 61 |
registered to vote in Ohio may serve as a precinct election | 62 |
official in either of the following locations: | 63 |
(1) A precinct in the county in which the person is | 64 |
registered to vote. | 65 |
(2) A precinct in the county in which the institution of | 66 |
higher education the person currently attends is located, if the | 67 |
person can provide proof to the board of elections that the person | 68 |
is currently enrolled at the institution of higher education. | 69 |
As used in this division, "institution of higher education" | 70 |
means a state institution of higher education, a private college, | 71 |
university, or other postsecondary institution located in this | 72 |
state that possesses a certificate of authorization issued by the | 73 |
Ohio board of regents pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised | 74 |
Code or a certificate of registration issued by the state board of | 75 |
career colleges and schools under Chapter 3332. of the Revised | 76 |
Code. | 77 |
(C) If the board of elections determines that not enough | 78 |
qualified electors in a precinct are available to serve as | 79 |
precinct officers, it may appoint persons to serve as precinct | 80 |
officers at a primary, special, or general election who are at | 81 |
least seventeen years of age and are registered to vote in | 82 |
accordance with section 3503.07 of the Revised Code. | 83 |
| 84 |
of education of a city, local, or exempted village school | 85 |
district, the governing authority of a community school | 86 |
established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, or the chief | 87 |
administrator of a nonpublic school may establish a program | 88 |
permitting certain high school students to apply and, if appointed | 89 |
by the board of elections, to serve as precinct officers at a | 90 |
primary, special, or general election. | 91 |
In addition to the requirements established by division | 92 |
93 | |
authority, or chief administrator that establishes a program under | 94 |
this division in conjunction with a board of elections may | 95 |
establish additional criteria that students shall meet to be | 96 |
eligible to participate in that program. | 97 |
(2)(a) To be eligible to participate in a program established | 98 |
under division | 99 |
United States citizen, a resident of the county, at least | 100 |
seventeen years of age, and enrolled in the senior year of high | 101 |
school. | 102 |
(b) Any student applying to participate in a program | 103 |
established under division | 104 |
the student's application process, shall declare the student's | 105 |
political party affiliation with the board of elections. | 106 |
(3) No student appointed as a precinct officer pursuant to a | 107 |
program established under division | 108 |
be designated as a presiding judge. | 109 |
(4) Any student participating in a program established under | 110 |
division | 111 |
student's absence from school on the day of an election at which | 112 |
the student is serving as a precinct officer. | 113 |
| 114 |
up to two students participating in a program established under | 115 |
division (D)(1) of this section who are under eighteen years of | 116 |
age may serve as precinct officers. Not more than one precinct | 117 |
officer in any given precinct with fewer than six precinct | 118 |
officers shall be under eighteen years of age. | 119 |
Sec. 3503.01. (A) Every citizen of the United States who is | 120 |
of the age of eighteen years or over and who has been a resident | 121 |
of the state thirty days immediately preceding the election at | 122 |
which the citizen offers to vote, is a resident of the county and | 123 |
precinct in which the citizen offers to vote, and has been | 124 |
registered to vote for thirty days, has the qualifications of an | 125 |
elector and may vote at all elections in the precinct in which the | 126 |
citizen resides. | 127 |
(B) When only a portion of a precinct is included within the | 128 |
boundaries of | 129 |
elections may assign the electors residing in such portion of a | 130 |
precinct to the nearest precinct or portion of a precinct within | 131 |
the boundaries
of such | 132 |
voting at any special
| 133 |
district. In any election in which only a part of the electors in | 134 |
a precinct is qualified to vote, the board may assign voters in | 135 |
such part to an adjoining precinct. Such assignment may be made to | 136 |
an adjoining precinct in another county with the consent and | 137 |
approval of the board of elections of such other county if the | 138 |
number of voters assigned to vote in a precinct in another county | 139 |
is two hundred or less. | 140 |
The board shall notify all such electors so assigned, at | 141 |
least ten days prior to the holding of any such election, of the | 142 |
location of the polling place where they are entitled to vote at | 143 |
such election. | 144 |
As used in division (B) of this section, "election district" | 145 |
means a school district, municipal corporation, township, or other | 146 |
political subdivision that includes territory in more than one | 147 |
precinct or any other district or authority that includes | 148 |
territory in more than one precinct and that is authorized by law | 149 |
to place an issue on the ballot at a special election. | 150 |
Section 2. That existing sections 3501.22 and 3503.01 of the | 151 |
Revised Code are hereby repealed. | 152 |