Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 508
       
       
        
       By Senator Gainer
       
       2-00641B-17                                            2017508__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to voting systems; amending s. 97.021,
    3         F.S.; defining the term “automatic tabulating
    4         equipment” for purposes of the Florida Election Code;
    5         amending s. 101.5614, F.S.; revising procedures
    6         governing the canvassing of returns to specify usage
    7         of a voting system’s automatic tabulating equipment;
    8         amending s. 102.141, F.S.; clarifying the
    9         circumstances under which ballots must be processed
   10         through automatic tabulating equipment in a recount;
   11         amending s. 102.166, F.S.; specifying the manner by
   12         which a manual recount may be conducted; revising
   13         requirements for hardware or software used in a manual
   14         recount; authorizing overvotes and undervotes to be
   15         identified and sorted physically or digitally in a
   16         manual recount; revising minimum requirements for
   17         Department of State rules to require procedures
   18         regarding the certification and use of automatic
   19         tabulating equipment for manual recounts; providing an
   20         effective date.
   21          
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Present subsections (5) through (45) of section
   25  97.021, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6)
   26  through (46), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added to
   27  that section, to read:
   28         97.021 Definitions.—For the purposes of this code, except
   29  where the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term:
   30         (5) “Automatic tabulating equipment” means an apparatus
   31  that automatically examines, counts, and records votes.
   32         Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) and subsections
   33  (7) and (8) of section 101.5614, Florida Statutes, are amended
   34  to read:
   35         101.5614 Canvass of returns.—
   36         (5)(a) If any vote-by-mail ballot is physically damaged so
   37  that it cannot properly be counted by the voting system’s
   38  automatic tabulating equipment, a true duplicate copy shall be
   39  made of the damaged ballot in the presence of witnesses and
   40  substituted for the damaged ballot. Likewise, a duplicate ballot
   41  shall be made of a vote-by-mail ballot containing an overvoted
   42  race or a marked vote-by-mail ballot in which every race is
   43  undervoted which shall include all valid votes as determined by
   44  the canvassing board based on rules adopted by the division
   45  pursuant to s. 102.166(4). All duplicate ballots shall be
   46  clearly labeled “duplicate,” bear a serial number which shall be
   47  recorded on the defective ballot, and be counted in lieu of the
   48  defective ballot. After a ballot has been duplicated, the
   49  defective ballot shall be placed in an envelope provided for
   50  that purpose, and the duplicate ballot shall be tallied with the
   51  other ballots for that precinct.
   52         (7) Vote-by-mail ballots may be counted by the voting
   53  system’s automatic tabulating equipment if they have been marked
   54  in a manner which will enable them to be properly counted by
   55  such equipment.
   56         (8) The return printed by the voting system’s automatic
   57  tabulating equipment, to which has been added the return of
   58  write-in, vote-by-mail, and manually counted votes and votes
   59  from provisional ballots, shall constitute the official return
   60  of the election upon certification by the canvassing board. Upon
   61  completion of the count, the returns shall be open to the
   62  public. A copy of the returns may be posted at the central
   63  counting place or at the office of the supervisor of elections
   64  in lieu of the posting of returns at individual precincts.
   65         Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
   66  102.141, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   67         102.141 County canvassing board; duties.—
   68         (7) If the unofficial returns reflect that a candidate for
   69  any office was defeated or eliminated by one-half of a percent
   70  or less of the votes cast for such office, that a candidate for
   71  retention to a judicial office was retained or not retained by
   72  one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast on the question
   73  of retention, or that a measure appearing on the ballot was
   74  approved or rejected by one-half of a percent or less of the
   75  votes cast on such measure, a recount shall be ordered of the
   76  votes cast with respect to such office or measure. The Secretary
   77  of State is responsible for ordering recounts in federal, state,
   78  and multicounty races. The county canvassing board or the local
   79  board responsible for certifying the election is responsible for
   80  ordering recounts in all other races. A recount need not be
   81  ordered with respect to the returns for any office, however, if
   82  the candidate or candidates defeated or eliminated from
   83  contention for such office by one-half of a percent or less of
   84  the votes cast for such office request in writing that a recount
   85  not be made.
   86         (a) Each canvassing board responsible for conducting a
   87  recount shall put each marksense ballot through automatic
   88  tabulating equipment and determine whether the returns correctly
   89  reflect the votes cast. If any marksense ballot is physically
   90  damaged so that it cannot be properly counted by the automatic
   91  tabulating equipment during the recount, a true duplicate shall
   92  be made of the damaged ballot pursuant to the procedures in s.
   93  101.5614(5). Immediately before the start of the recount, a test
   94  of the tabulating equipment shall be conducted as provided in s.
   95  101.5612. If the test indicates no error, the recount tabulation
   96  of the ballots cast shall be presumed correct and such votes
   97  shall be canvassed accordingly. If an error is detected, the
   98  cause therefor shall be ascertained and corrected and the
   99  recount repeated, as necessary. The canvassing board shall
  100  immediately report the error, along with the cause of the error
  101  and the corrective measures being taken, to the Department of
  102  State. No later than 11 days after the election, the canvassing
  103  board shall file a separate incident report with the Department
  104  of State, detailing the resolution of the matter and identifying
  105  any measures that will avoid a future recurrence of the error.
  106  If the automatic tabulating equipment used in a recount is not
  107  part of the voting system and the ballots have already been
  108  processed through such equipment, the canvassing board is not
  109  required to put each ballot through any automatic tabulating
  110  equipment again.
  111         Section 4. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section
  112  102.166, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  113         102.166 Manual recounts of overvotes and undervotes.—
  114         (1) If the second set of unofficial returns pursuant to s.
  115  102.141 indicates that a candidate for any office was defeated
  116  or eliminated by one-quarter of a percent or less of the votes
  117  cast for such office, that a candidate for retention to a
  118  judicial office was retained or not retained by one-quarter of a
  119  percent or less of the votes cast on the question of retention,
  120  or that a measure appearing on the ballot was approved or
  121  rejected by one-quarter of a percent or less of the votes cast
  122  on such measure, a manual recount of the overvotes and
  123  undervotes cast in the entire geographic jurisdiction of such
  124  office or ballot measure shall be ordered unless:
  125         (a) The candidate or candidates defeated or eliminated from
  126  contention by one-quarter of 1 percent or fewer of the votes
  127  cast for such office request in writing that a recount not be
  128  made; or
  129         (b) The number of overvotes and undervotes is fewer than
  130  the number of votes needed to change the outcome of the
  131  election.
  132  
  133  The Secretary of State is responsible for ordering a manual
  134  recount for federal, state, and multicounty races. The county
  135  canvassing board or local board responsible for certifying the
  136  election is responsible for ordering a manual recount for all
  137  other races. A manual recount consists of a recount of marksense
  138  ballots or of digital images of those ballots by a person.
  139         (2)(a) Any hardware or software used to identify and sort
  140  overvotes and undervotes for a given race or ballot measure must
  141  be certified by the Department of State as part of the voting
  142  system pursuant to s. 101.015. Any such hardware or software
  143  must be capable of simultaneously counting votes.
  144         (b) Overvotes and undervotes shall be identified and sorted
  145  while recounting ballots pursuant to s. 102.141, if the hardware
  146  or software for this purpose has been certified or the
  147  department’s rules so provide. Overvotes and undervotes may be
  148  identified and sorted physically or digitally.
  149         (5) Procedures for a manual recount are as follows:
  150         (a) The county canvassing board shall appoint as many
  151  counting teams of at least two electors as is necessary to
  152  manually recount the ballots. A counting team must have, when
  153  possible, members of at least two political parties. A candidate
  154  involved in the race shall not be a member of the counting team.
  155         (b) Each duplicate ballot prepared pursuant to s.
  156  101.5614(5) or s. 102.141(7) shall be compared with the original
  157  ballot to ensure the correctness of the duplicate.
  158         (c) If a counting team is unable to determine whether the
  159  ballot contains a clear indication that the voter has made a
  160  definite choice, the ballot shall be presented to the county
  161  canvassing board for a determination.
  162         (d) The Department of State shall adopt detailed rules
  163  prescribing additional recount procedures for each certified
  164  voting system which shall be uniform to the extent practicable.
  165  The rules shall address, at a minimum, the following areas:
  166         1. Security of ballots during the recount process;
  167         2. Time and place of recounts;
  168         3. Public observance of recounts;
  169         4. Objections to ballot determinations;
  170         5. Record of recount proceedings; and
  171         6. Procedures relating to candidate and petitioner
  172  representatives; and
  173         7. Procedures relating to the certification, and the use
  174  thereof, of automatic tabulating equipment that is not part of a
  175  voting system.
  176         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.