Committee advances bill extending complaint deadlines, clarifying settlement process and ballot access for investigations

Senator Kim Hammer (Senator, District 16) presented legislation that would extend certain election-law complaint deadlines, clarify how settlement offers and cure periods operate under the State Election Commission statute, and allow the commission access to ballots held in long-term secure storage for investigative or other purposes.

Hammer said the bill "allows for more time of complaints with regard to election law to be filed 30 days after the deadline to certify." Daniel Schultz (State Election Commission) described the measure as statutory cleanup that clarifies uniform statewide deadlines, the cure-period mechanics, and the commission’s ability to access ballots in secure storage for investigation.

Committee members asked questions about certification deadlines and how a uniform deadline would function across counties with varying certification dates; Schultz explained making the filing deadline 10 days after the deadline to certify (rather than 10 days after each county's certification) would create a uniform statewide deadline under the proposed language.

The sponsor closed and the committee advanced the bill by voice vote.