To amend sections 3501.10, 3501.28, 3509.07, 3513.30, and 4301.355 of the Revised Code to revise the Election Law by increasing the maximum poll worker pay, permitting employees of the state and of political subdivisions to work as judges of elections and receive poll worker pay in addition to their regular employment compensation, eliminating the required ballot language describing certain past local option elections when a local option election is held on sales of alcoholic beverages at a specific location, and making other changes.

Section 1.  That sections 3501.10, 3501.28, 3509.07, 3513.30, and 4301.355 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 3501.10.  (A) The board of elections shall, as an expense of the board, provide suitable rooms for its offices and records and the necessary and proper furniture and supplies for such those rooms. The board may lease such offices and rooms, necessary to its operation, for such the length of time and upon such the terms as the board deems in the best interests of the public, provided that the term of any such lease shall not exceed fifteen years.

Thirty days prior to entering into such a lease, the board shall notify the board of county commissioners in writing of its intent to enter into the lease. The notice shall specify the terms and conditions of the lease. Prior to the thirtieth day after receiving that notice and before any lease is entered into, the board of county commissioners may reject the proposed lease by a majority vote. After receiving written notification of the rejection by the board of county commissioners, the board of elections shall not enter into the lease that was rejected, but may immediately enter into additional lease negotiations, subject to the requirements of this section.

The board of elections in any county may, by resolution, request that the board of county commissioners submit to the electors of the county, in accordance with section 133.18 of the Revised Code, the question of issuing bonds for the acquisition of real estate and the construction on it of a suitable building with necessary furniture and equipment for the proper administration of the duties of the board of elections. The resolution declaring the necessity for issuing such bonds shall relate only to the acquisition of real estate and to the construction, furnishing, and equipping of a building as provided in this division.

(B) The board of elections in each county shall keep its offices, or one or more of its branch registration offices, open for the performance of its duties an additional seven hours each week for three weeks before the close until nine p.m. on the last day of registration before a general or primary election. At all other times during each week, the board shall keep its offices and rooms open for a period of time that such the board considers necessary for the performance of its duties.

(C) The board of elections may maintain permanent or temporary branch offices at any place within the county.

Sec. 3501.28.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Fair Labor Standards Act" or "Act" means the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938," 52 Stat. 1062, 29 U.S.C.A. 201, as amended.

(2) "Full election day" means the period of time between the opening of the polls and the completion of the procedures contained in section 3501.26 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Services" means services at each general, primary, or special election.

(B) For any election held in 1997 on or after the effective date of this amendment, each judge of an election in a county shall be paid for the judge's services at the same hourly rate, which shall be the minimum hourly rate established by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

(C) Beginning with calendar year 1998, each judge of an election in a county shall be paid for the judge's services at the same hourly rate, which shall be not less than the minimum hourly rate established by the Fair Labor Standards Act and not more than eighty-five dollars per diem.

(C) Beginning with calendar year 2004, each judge of an election in a county shall be paid for the judge's services at the same hourly rate, which shall be not less than the minimum hourly rate established by the Fair Labor Standards Act and not more than ninety-five dollars per diem.

(D) Beginning with calendar year 1998, the The secretary of state shall establish, by rule adopted under section 111.15 of the Revised Code, the maximum amount of per diem compensation that may be paid to judges of an election under this section each time the Fair Labor Standards Act is amended to increase the minimum hourly rate established by the act. Upon learning of such an increase, the secretary of state shall determine by what percentage the minimum hourly rate has been increased under the act and establish a new maximum amount of per diem compensation that judges of an election may be paid under this section that is increased by the same percentage that the minimum hourly rate has been increased under the act.

(E)(1) Beginning with calendar year 1990, no No board of elections shall increase the pay of a judge of an election under this section during a calendar year unless the board has given written notice of the proposed increase to the board of county commissioners not later than the first day of October of the preceding calendar year. Beginning with calendar year 1998, except Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(2) of this section, no board of elections shall increase the pay of a judge of an election during a calendar year by more than nine per cent over the compensation paid to a judge of an election in the county where the board is located during the previous calendar year.

(2) The board of county commissioners may review and comment upon a proposed increase and may enter into a written agreement with a board of elections to permit an increase in the compensation paid to judges of an election for their services during a calendar year that is greater than the nine per cent limitation described in division (E)(1) of this section.

(F) No judge of an election who works less than the full election day shall be paid the maximum amount allowed under this section or the maximum amount as set by the board of elections, whichever is less.

(G) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, any employee of the state or of any political subdivision of the state may serve as a judge of elections on the day of an election without loss of the employee's regular compensation for that day and without the employee being considered to have been absent from work on that day. No such employee shall be required to charge the time that the employee otherwise would have been working for the employee's regular employer to vacation or any other type of paid leave. In addition to the employee's regular compensation, the employee shall receive the compensation paid to the judge of an election under division (B), (C), or (D) of this section.

(H) The board of elections may withhold the compensation of any precinct official for failure to obey the instructions of the board or to comply with the law relating to the duties of such precinct judge. Any payment a judge of an election is entitled to receive under section 3501.36 of the Revised Code is in addition to the compensation the judge is entitled to receive under this section.

Sec. 3509.07.  If election officials find that the statement accompanying an absent voter's ballot or absent voter's presidential ballot is insufficient, that the signatures do not correspond with the person's registration signature, that the applicant is not a qualified elector in the precinct, that the ballot envelope contains more than one ballot of any one kind, or any voted ballot that the elector is not entitled to vote,, or that Stub A is detached from the absent voter's ballot or absent voter's presidential ballot, the vote shall not be accepted or counted. Whenever it appears to the election officials by sufficient proof that any elector who has marked and forwarded the elector's ballot as provided in section 3509.05 of the Revised Code has died, the ballot of the deceased voter shall not be counted. The vote of any absent voter may be challenged for cause in the same manner as other votes are challenged, and the election officials shall determine the legality of that ballot. Every ballot not counted shall be indorsed on its back "Not Counted" with the reasons the ballot was not counted, and shall be enclosed and returned to or retained by the board of elections along with the contested ballots.

Sec. 3513.30.  (A)(1) Where If only one valid declaration of candidacy is filed for nomination as a candidate of a political party for an office and such that candidate dies prior to the tenth day before the primary election, both of the following may occur:

(a) The political party whose candidate died may fill the vacancy so created as provided in division (A)(2) of this section.

(b) Any major political party other than the one whose candidate died may select a candidate as provided in division (A)(2) of this section under either of the following circumstances:

(i) No person has filed a valid declaration of candidacy for nomination as that party's candidate at the primary election.

(ii) Only one person has filed a valid declaration of candidacy for nomination as that party's candidate at the primary election, that person has withdrawn, died, or been disqualified under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, and the vacancy so created has not been filled.

(2) A vacancy may be filled under division (A)(1)(a) and a selection may be made under division (A)(1)(b) of this section by the appropriate committee of the political party in the same manner as provided in divisions (A) to (E) of section 3513.31 of the Revised Code for the filling of similar vacancies created by withdrawals or disqualifications under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code after the primary election, except that the certification required under that section may not be filed with the secretary of state, or with a board of the most populous county of a district, or with the board of a county in which the major portion of the population of a subdivision is located, later than four p.m. of the tenth day before the day of such primary election, or with any other board later than four p.m. of the fifth day before the day of such primary election.

(3) If only one valid declaration of candidacy is filed for nomination as a candidate of a political party for an office and that candidate dies on or after the tenth day before the day of the primary election, that candidate is considered to have received the nomination of that candidate's political party at that primary election, and, for purposes of filling the vacancy so created, that candidate's death shall be treated as if that candidate died on the day after the day of the primary election.

(B) Any person filing a declaration of candidacy may withdraw as such candidate at any time prior to the fortieth day before the primary election, or, if the primary election is a presidential primary election, at any time prior to the fiftieth day before the presidential primary election. The withdrawal shall be effected and the statement of withdrawal shall be filed in accordance with the procedures prescribed in division (D) of this section for the withdrawal of persons nominated in a primary election or by nominating petition.

(C) A person who is the first choice for president of the United States by a candidate for delegate or alternate to a national convention of a political party may withdraw consent for the selection of the person as such first choice no later than four p.m. of the thirtieth day before the day of the presidential primary election. Withdrawal of consent shall be for the entire slate of candidates for delegates and alternates who named such person as their presidential first choice and shall constitute withdrawal from the primary election by such delegates and alternates. The withdrawal shall be made in writing and delivered to the secretary of state. The boards of elections shall remove both the name of the withdrawn first choice and the names of such withdrawn candidates from the ballots to the extent practicable in the time remaining before the election and according to the directions of the secretary of state. If such names are not removed from all ballots before the day of the election, the votes for the withdrawn first choice or candidates are void and shall not be counted.

(D) Any person nominated in a primary election or by nominating petition as a candidate for election at the next general election may withdraw as such candidate at any time prior to the fortieth day before the general election. Such withdrawal may be effected by the filing of a written statement by such candidate announcing the candidate's withdrawal and requesting that the candidate's name not be printed on the ballots. If such candidate's declaration of candidacy or nominating petition was filed with the secretary of state, the candidate's statement of withdrawal shall be addressed to and filed with the secretary of state. If such candidate's declaration of candidacy or nominating petition was filed with a board of elections, the candidate's statement of withdrawal shall be addressed to, and filed with such that board.

(E) When a person withdraws under division (B) or (D) of this section, the board of elections shall remove the name of the withdrawn candidate from the ballots to the extent practicable in the time remaining before the election and according to the directions of the secretary of state. If the name is not removed from all ballots before the day of the election, the votes for the withdrawn candidate are void and shall not be counted.

Sec. 4301.355.  (A) If a petition is filed under section 4301.333 of the Revised Code for the submission of the question or questions set forth in this section, it shall be held in the precinct as ordered by the board of elections under that section. The expense of holding the election shall be charged to the municipal corporation or township of which the precinct is a part.

(B) At the election, one or more of the following questions, as designated in a valid petition, shall be submitted to the electors of the precinct:

(1) "Shall the sale of .......... (insert beer, wine and mixed beverages, or intoxicating liquor) be permitted by .......... (insert name of applicant, liquor permit holder, or liquor agency store, including trade or fictitious name under which applicant for, or holder of, liquor permit or liquor agency store either intends to do, or does, business at the particular location), an .......... (insert "applicant for" or "holder of" or "operator of") a .......... (insert class name of liquor permit or permits followed by the words "liquor permit(s)" or, if appropriate, the words "liquor agency store for the State of Ohio"), who is engaged in the business of .......... (insert general nature of the business in which applicant or liquor permit holder is engaged or will be engaged in at the particular location, as described in the petition) at .......... (insert address of the particular location within the precinct as set forth in the petition) in this precinct?"

(2) "Shall the sale of .......... (insert beer, wine and mixed beverages, or intoxicating liquor) be permitted for sale on Sunday between the hours of .......... (insert "ten a.m. and midnight" or "one p.m. and midnight") by .......... (insert name of applicant, liquor permit holder, or liquor agency store, including trade or fictitious name under which applicant for, or holder of, liquor permit or liquor agency store either intends to do, or does, business at the particular location), an ...... (insert "applicant for a D-6 liquor permit," "holder of a D-6 liquor permit," "applicant for or holder of an A-1-A, A-2, C-1, C-2x, D-1, D-2x, D-3, D-3x, D-4, D-5, D-5b, D-5c, D-5e, D-5f, D-5g, D-5h, D-5i, D-5j, D-5k, or D-7 liquor permit," if only the approval of beer sales is sought, or "liquor agency store") who is engaged in the business of .......... (insert general nature of the business in which applicant or liquor permit holder is engaged or will be engaged in at the particular location, as described in the petition) at .......... (insert address of the particular location within the precinct) in this precinct?"

(C) If the sale of beer, wine and mixed beverages, or intoxicating liquor has been approved at a particular location within the precinct at a previous election held under this section, the ballot also shall include the following statement:

"At a previous election held under section 4301.355 of the Revised Code, the electors approved the sale of .......... (insert beer, wine and mixed beverages, or intoxicating liquor, as appropriate) at .......... (insert business name and address of the particular location or locations within the precinct where that sale has been approved at a previous election under section 4301.355 of the Revised Code)."

(D) The board of elections shall furnish printed ballots at the election as provided under section 3505.06 of the Revised Code, except that a separate ballot shall be used for the election under this section. The question and, if applicable, the statement set forth in this section shall be printed on each ballot, and the board shall insert in the question and statement appropriate words to complete each it. Votes shall be cast as provided under section 3505.06 of the Revised Code.

Section 2.  That existing sections 3501.10, 3501.28, 3509.07, 3513.30, and 4301.355 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.