Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB670 Compare Versions

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22 EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
33 and is intended to be omitted in the law.
44 FIRST REGULAR SESSION
55 SENATE BILL NO. 670
66 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
77 INTRODUCED BY SENATOR GREGORY (15).
88 1320S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
99 AN ACT
1010 To repeal sections 115.105, 115.123, 115.351, 115.776, and 115.904, RSMo, and to enact in lieu
1111 thereof thirteen new sections relating to reinstating the presidential preference primary
1212 election.
1313
1414 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
1515 Section A. Sections 115.105, 115.123, 115.351, 115.776, 1
1616 and 115.904, RSMo, are repealed and thirteen new sections 2
1717 enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 115.105, 3
1818 115.123, 115.351, 115.755, 115.758, 115.761, 115.765, 115.767, 4
1919 115.770, 115.773, 115.776, 115.785, and 115.904, to read as 5
2020 follows:6
2121 115.105. 1. The chair of the cou nty committee of each 1
2222 political party named on the ballot shall have the right to 2
2323 designate a challenger for each polling place, who may be 3
2424 present until all ballots are cast on the day of election, 4
2525 and a challenger for each location at which absentee ballots 5
2626 are counted, who may be present while the ballots are being 6
2727 prepared for counting and counted. No later than four 7
2828 business days before the election, the chair of each county 8
2929 committee of each political party named on the ballot shall 9
3030 provide signed official designation forms with the names of 10
3131 the designated challengers and substitutes to the local 11
3232 election authority for confirmation of eligibility to serve 12
3333 as a challenger. The local election authority, after 13
3434 verifying the eligibility of e ach designated and substitute 14 SB 670 2
3535 challenger, shall sign off on the official designation 15
3636 forms, unless the challenger is found not to have the 16
3737 qualifications established by subsection 4 of this section. 17
3838 If the election authority determines that a challeng er does 18
3939 not meet the qualifications of subsection 4 of this section, 19
4040 the designating party chair may designate a replacement 20
4141 challenger and provide the local election authority with the 21
4242 name of the replacement challenger before 5:00 p.m. of the 22
4343 Monday preceding the election. The designating chair may 23
4444 substitute challengers at his or her discretion during such 24
4545 hours. 25
4646 2. Challenges may only be made when the challenger 26
4747 believes the election laws of this state have been or will 27
4848 be violated, and each challenger shall report any such 28
4949 belief to the election judges, or to the election authority 29
5050 if not satisfied with the decision of the election judges. 30
5151 3. Prior to the close of the polls, challengers may 31
5252 list and give out the names of those w ho have voted. The 32
5353 listing and giving out of names of those who have voted by a 33
5454 challenger shall not be considered giving information 34
5555 tending to show the state of the count. 35
5656 4. In a presidential primary election, challengers may 36
5757 collect information about the party ballot selected by the 37
5858 voter and may disclose party affiliation information after 38
5959 the polls close. 39
6060 5. All persons selected as challengers shall have the 40
6161 same qualifications required by section 115.085 for election 41
6262 judges, except that such challenger shall be a registered 42
6363 voter in the jurisdiction of the election authority for 43
6464 which the challenger is designated as a challenger. 44
6565 [5.] 6. Any challenge by a challenger to a voter's 45
6666 identification for validity shall be made only to the 46 SB 670 3
6767 election judges or other election authority. If the poll 47
6868 challenger is not satisfied with the decision of the 48
6969 election judges, then he or she may report his or her belief 49
7070 that the election laws of this state have been or will be 50
7171 violated to the election authority as allowed under this 51
7272 section. 52
7373 115.123. 1. All public elections shall be held on 1
7474 Tuesday. Except as provided in subsection 2 of this 2
7575 section, and section 247.180, all public elections shall be 3
7676 held on the general election day, the primary election day, 4
7777 the general municipal election day, the first Tuesday after 5
7878 the first Monday in November, or on another day expressly 6
7979 provided by city or county charter, and in nonprimary years 7
8080 on the first Tuesday afte r the first Monday in August. Bond 8
8181 elections may be held on the first Tuesday after the first 9
8282 Monday in February but no other issue shall be included on 10
8383 the ballot for such election. 11
8484 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1 of 12
8585 this section to the contrary, an election for a presidential 13
8686 primary held under sections 115.755 to 115.785 shall be held 14
8787 on the second Tuesday in March of each presidential election 15
8888 year. 16
8989 3. The following elections shall be exempt from the 17
9090 provisions of subsection 1 of this section: 18
9191 (1) Bond elections necessitated by fire, vandalism or 19
9292 natural disaster; 20
9393 (2) Elections for which ownership of real property is 21
9494 required by law for voting; 22
9595 (3) Special elections to fill vacancies and to decid e 23
9696 tie votes or election contests; and 24 SB 670 4
9797 (4) Tax elections necessitated by a financial hardship 25
9898 due to a five percent or greater decline in per -pupil state 26
9999 revenue to a school district from the previous year. 27
100100 [3.] 4. Nothing in this section pro hibits a charter 28
101101 city or county from having its primary election in March if 29
102102 the charter provided for a March primary before August 28, 30
103103 1999. 31
104104 [4.] 5. Nothing in this section shall prohibit 32
105105 elections held pursuant to section 65.600, but no other 33
106106 issues shall be on the March ballot except pursuant to this 34
107107 chapter. 35
108108 115.351. No person who files as a party candidate for 1
109109 nomination or election to an office shall, without 2
110110 withdrawing, file as another party's candidate or an 3
111111 independent candidate for nomination or election to the 4
112112 office for the same term. No person who files as an 5
113113 independent candidate for election to an office shall, 6
114114 without withdrawing, file as a party candidate for 7
115115 nomination or election to the office for t he same term. No 8
116116 person shall file for one office and, without withdrawing, 9
117117 file for another office to be filled at the same election. 10
118118 A person who files a request to be included on the 11
119119 presidential primary ballot is not prohibited by this 12
120120 section from filing or appearing on any ballot as a party 13
121121 candidate for nomination to another office. Receipt by the 14
122122 secretary of state of proper certification of nomination 15
123123 pursuant to subsection 1 of section 115.399 constitutes 16
124124 withdrawal by operation of law pursuant to subsection 1 of 17
125125 section 115.359 of any presidential or vice presidential 18
126126 nominee from any other office for which such nominee is a 19
127127 candidate at the same election. Any person violating any 20
128128 provision of this section shall be disqualified fr om running 21 SB 670 5
129129 for nomination or election to any office at the primary and 22
130130 general election next succeeding the violation. 23
131131 115.755. A statewide presidential preference primary 1
132132 shall be held on the second Tuesday in March of each 2
133133 presidential election year. 3
134134 115.758. On or before the tenth Tuesday prior to the 1
135135 date of the presidential preference primary, the secretary 2
136136 of state shall announce the official list of presidential 3
137137 candidates for each established political party as provided 4
138138 in section 115.761. 5
139139 115.761. 1. The official list of presidential 1
140140 candidates for each established political party shall 2
141141 include the names of all constitutionally qualified 3
142142 candidates for whom, on or after 8:00 a.m . on the fifteenth 4
143143 Tuesday prior to the presidential primary, and on or before 5
144144 5:00 p.m., on the eleventh Tuesday prior to the presidential 6
145145 primary, a written request to be included on the 7
146146 presidential primary ballot is filed with the secretary of 8
147147 state along with: 9
148148 (1) Receipt of payment to the state committee of the 10
149149 established political party on whose ballot the candidate 11
150150 wishes to appear of a filing fee of five thousand dollars; or 12
151151 (2) A written statement, sworn to before an officer 13
152152 authorized by law to administer oaths, that the candidate is 14
153153 unable to pay the filing fee and does not have funds in a 15
154154 campaign fund or committee to pay the filing fee and a 16
155155 petition signed by not less than five thousand registered 17
156156 Missouri voters, as d etermined by the secretary of state, 18
157157 that the candidate's name be placed on the ballot of the 19
158158 specified established political party for the presidential 20
159159 preference primary. The request to be included on the 21
160160 presidential primary ballot shall include ea ch signer's 22 SB 670 6
161161 printed name, registered address, and signature and shall be 23
162162 in substantially the following form: 24
163163 2. The state or national party organization of an 30
164164 established political party that adopts rul es imposing 31
165165 signature requirements to be met before a candidate can be 32
166166 listed as an official candidate shall notify the secretary 33
167167 of state by October first of the year preceding the 34
168168 presidential primary. 35
169169 3. Any candidate or such candidate's autho rized 36
170170 representative may have such candidate's name stricken from 37
171171 the presidential primary ballot by filing with the secretary 38
172172 of state on or before 5:00 p.m. on the eleventh Tuesday 39
173173 prior to the presidential primary election a written 40
174174 statement, sworn to before an officer authorized by law to 41
175175 administer oaths, requesting that such candidate's name not 42
176176 be printed on the official primary ballot. Thereafter, the 43
177177 secretary of state shall not include the name of that 44
178178 candidate in the official list ann ounced pursuant to section 45
179179 115.758 or in the certified list of candidates transmitted 46
180180 pursuant to section 115.765. 47
181181 4. The filing times set out in this section shall only 48
182182 apply to presidential preference primaries, and are in lieu 49
183183 of those established in section 115.349. 50
184184 115.765. On or before the tenth Tuesday prior to a 1
185185 presidential preference primary, the secretary of state 2
186186 shall transmit to each election authority a certified list 3
187187 25
188188 26
189189 27
190190 28
191191 29
192192 I (We) the undersigned, do hereby request that the
193193 name of ______ be placed upon the March ______,
194194 ______, presidential primary ballot as candidate
195195 for nomination as the nominee for President of the
196196 United States on the ______ party ticket.
197197 SB 670 7
198198 containing the names of all candidates w hose names shall 4
199199 appear on the presidential preference primary ballot of each 5
200200 party. The names of the candidates shall appear in the 6
201201 order in which their request to be included on the 7
202202 presidential primary ballot was received in the office of 8
203203 the secretary of state, except that, in the case of 9
204204 candidates who file a request to be included on the 10
205205 presidential primary ballot with the secretary of state 11
206206 prior to 5:00 p.m. on the first day for filing, the 12
207207 secretary of state shall determine by random dra wing the 13
208208 order in which such candidates' names shall appear on the 14
209209 ballot. The drawing shall be conducted so that each 15
210210 candidate, or candidate's representative, may draw a number 16
211211 at random at the time of filing. The secretary of state 17
212212 shall record the number drawn with the candidate's request 18
213213 to be included on the presidential primary ballot. The 19
214214 names of candidates filing on the first day for filing on 20
215215 each party ballot shall be listed in ascending order of the 21
216216 numbers so drawn. 22
217217 115.767. Each election authority shall cause the name 1
218218 of candidates certified by the secretary of state to appear 2
219219 on the presidential preference primary ballot of each party, 3
220220 followed by a listing for an uncommitted vote. 4
221221 115.770. The conduct of the presidential preference 1
222222 primary election and the count and canvass of the votes cast 2
223223 therein shall conform as nearly as is practicable to that 3
224224 prescribed for the conduct of the primary election for state 4
225225 officers. All primary election laws not inconsistent with 5
226226 the provisions of sections 115.750 to 115.785 shall be 6
227227 applicable to the conduct of this election, and the form of 7
228228 the ballot insofar as is practicable shall be substantially 8
229229 as that prescribed by section 115.395. In a presidential 9 SB 670 8
230230 preference primary, each voter shall be entitled to receive 10
231231 the ballot of one and only one established political party, 11
232232 designated by the voter before receiving such voter's 12
233233 ballot. Each voter who participates in a presidential 13
234234 preference primary shall be entitled to vote on all 14
235235 questions and for any candidates submitted by political 15
236236 subdivisions and special districts at the general municipal 16
237237 election. Each voter who does not wish to participate in a 17
238238 presidential preference primary may vote on all questions 18
239239 and for any candidates submitted by a political subdivision 19
240240 or special district. 20
241241 115.773. After the count and canvass of the votes 1
242242 cast, the secretary of state shall notify the state chair of 2
243243 each of the established political parties for whom a 3
244244 candidate was listed of the number of votes recorded in that 4
245245 established political party's primary that each candidate 5
246246 and uncommitted listing received. 6
247247 115.776. The state party organization whi ch is the 1
248248 state organization recognized by the national organization 2
249249 of that established political party shall, after the primary 3
250250 and before the national convention, conduct a series of 4
251251 caucuses culminating in congressional and state conventions 5
252252 [for the purpose of nominating a candidate for the president 6
253253 of the United States ]. Delegates to the national 7
254254 conventions shall be chosen at the congressional district 8
255255 and state conventions pursuant to rules established by the 9
256256 political parties. 10
257257 115.785. All costs of a presidential preference 1
258258 primary shall be paid by the state, except that, pursuant to 2
259259 section 115.065, costs shall be shared proportionately by 3
260260 the state and any political subdivisions and special 4
261261 districts holding an election on the same day as any such 5 SB 670 9
262262 primary. For any county with more than five hundred polling 6
263263 places, the state shall assist in assuring adequate poll 7
264264 workers and equipment. 8
265265 115.904. The voting procedures in sections 11 5.900 to 1
266266 115.936 shall apply to: 2
267267 (1) A general, special, presidential preference, or 3
268268 primary election for federal office; 4
269269 (2) A general, special, or primary election for 5
270270 statewide or state legislative office or state ballot 6
271271 measure; or 7
272272 (3) Any election in which absentee voting is conducted 8
273273 pursuant to sections 115.275 to 115.304. 9
274274