Florida Senate - 2012                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1596
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 928620                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  01/30/2012           .                                
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       The Committee on Rules (Smith) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 39 and 40
    4  insert:
    5         Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (1) of
    6  section 101.657, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
    7         101.657 Early voting.—
    8         (1)(a) As a convenience to the voter, the supervisor of
    9  elections shall allow an elector to vote early in the main or
   10  branch office of the supervisor and may allow such early voting
   11  in any city hall, public library facility, courthouse, place of
   12  worship, civic center, convention center, community center,
   13  county government center, conference center, community college
   14  facility, university or college facility, fairgrounds, or any
   15  facility designated by the supervisor as meeting the
   16  requirements of this section. The supervisor shall mark, code,
   17  indicate on, or otherwise track the voter’s precinct for each
   18  early voted ballot. In order for a branch office to be used for
   19  early voting, it shall be a permanent facility of the supervisor
   20  and shall have been designated and used as such for at least 1
   21  year prior to the election. The supervisor may also designate
   22  any city hall or permanent public library facility as early
   23  voting sites; however, if so designated, the sites must be
   24  geographically located so as to provide all voters in the county
   25  an equal opportunity to cast a ballot, insofar as is
   26  practicable. Each county shall operate the same total number of
   27  early voting sites that it used for the 2008 general election,
   28  or one early voting site plus one additional early voting site
   29  for every complete set of 65,000 registered voters in the county
   30  as of July 1 of each general election year, whichever is
   31  greater. The results or tabulation of votes cast during early
   32  voting may not be made before the close of the polls on election
   33  day. Results shall be reported by precinct.
   34         (d) Early voting shall begin on the 15th 10th day before an
   35  election that contains state or federal races and end on the 2nd
   36  3rd day before the election. For purposes of a special election
   37  held pursuant to s. 100.101, early voting shall begin on the 8th
   38  day before the election and end on the 2nd day before the
   39  election. Early voting, and shall be provided for 12 no less
   40  than 6 hours per weekday and 12 hours in the aggregate each
   41  weekend no more than 12 hours per day at each site during the
   42  applicable periods period. Early voting sites shall open no
   43  earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 7 p.m. on each
   44  applicable day. The supervisor of elections may provide early
   45  voting for elections that are not held in conjunction with a
   46  state or federal election. However, the supervisor has the
   47  discretion to determine the hours of operation of early voting
   48  sites in those elections.
   49  
   50  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   51         And the title is amended as follows:
   52         Delete line 6
   53  and insert:
   54         legal residence; amending s. 101.657, F.S.;
   55         designating certain facilities as locations for early
   56         voting; providing criteria for the number of early
   57         voting sites; revising the dates and times when early
   58         voting is to be held; amending s. 106.025, F.S.;
   59         requiring