SB1: relative to preparation of 2006 state general election ballots.

2006 SPECIAL SESSION

06-4001

03/09

SENATE BILL 1

AN ACT relative to preparation of 2006 state general election ballots.

SPONSORS: Sen. Clegg, Dist 14; Rep. O Neil, Rock 15

COMMITTEE:

ANALYSIS

This bill establishes a procedure for the placement of party columns and ordering of candidate names for the 2006 state general election ballots.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

06-4001

03/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Six

AN ACT relative to preparation of 2006 state general election ballots.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Preparation of Ballots; 2006 General Election.

I. In preparing the ballots for the 2006 state general election, the secretary of state shall arrange the names of candidates in party columns in accordance with RSA 656:5, except that the order of the party columns shall be determined in accordance with this section. The secretary of state shall establish the order of party columns which shall be used in each state senate district. The ballots for each town or ward in the senate district shall conform to the order of party columns established by the secretary of state. In establishing the order of party columns, the secretary of state shall conduct a random drawing, the results of which shall require that the column for Republican Party candidates, the column for Democratic Party candidates, and a column for all other candidates each occupy the first column on the ballot in 8 senate districts. In districts where the Republican Party occupies the first column, the Democratic Party shall occupy the second column and other candidates shall occupy the third column. In districts where the Democratic Party occupies the first column, the Republican Party shall occupy the second column and other candidates shall occupy the third column. In districts where the other candidates column occupies the first column, the secretary of state shall conduct a random drawing, the results of which shall require that the column for Republican Party candidates and the column for Democratic Party candidates each occupy the second column on the ballot in 4 districts and the third column on the ballot in the remaining 4 districts.

II. In preparing ballots for the 2006 state general election for any town or ward where there is more than one candidate in a party column for any office, the names of the candidates for that office in the party column shall be listed according to the surnames of the candidates. The secretary of state shall randomly select a letter of the alphabet to be used in the preparation of all such ballots. Candidates with surnames beginning with the letter selected by the secretary of state shall appear first; all other candidates shall be listed in the alphabetical order of their surnames, beginning with the letter a and ending with the letter z but excluding the letter selected by the secretary of state. If more than one candidate for the office has a surname beginning with the letter selected by the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall conduct a random drawing to determine the order of the names of such candidates.

2 Repeal. Section 1 of this act, relative to ballots for the 2006 general election, is repealed.

3 Effective Date.

I. Section 2 of this act shall take effect December 31, 2006.

II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.