| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.450 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 2 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #379873 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | H.450 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representatives Emmons of Springfield and Morris of 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Springfield 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Referred to Committee on 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Date: 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Subject: Elections; conduct of elections; recounts and contest of elections; 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | appointment of recount committee; requirement for nominees to be 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | disinterested parties 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to, in the event 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | of a contested election and recount, require candidates to nominate 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | disinterested parties to a recount committee and prohibit the Superior Court 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | from appointing nominees to the recount committee if they are an interested 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | party. 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | An act relating to prohibiting the appointment of interested parties to a 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | recount committee 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 1. 17 V.S.A. § 2602a is amended to read: 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | § 2602a. APPOINTMENT OF RECOUNT COMMITTEE 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | (a)(1) Upon receipt of a petition, the county clerk shall notify all candidates 19 |
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| 25 | 25 | | for the office that is the subject of the recount, advising them to each submit 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.450 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 2 |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #379873 v.1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | immediately a list of a minimum of 10 nominees for disinterested individuals 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | to serve on a recount committee. 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (2)(A) If a list of nominees is not delivered to the county clerk within 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | two business days, the clerk shall notify the appropriate candidates that they 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | have 24 hours to submit lists of nominees for disinterested individuals to serve 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | on the recount committee. 6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | * * * 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b)(1) The Superior Court shall make a minimum of 12 appointments to the 8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | recount committee from among those nominated under this section, with the 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | number of appointments based on the number of votes to be recounted and a 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | goal of completing the recount within one day. 11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) In making these appointments, the court shall appoint an equal 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | number of persons disinterested individuals representing each candidate, to the 13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | extent practicable. 14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (c) As used in this section, “disinterested individual” means an individual 15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | who is not a relative of or subordinate to the candidates and who shares no 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | direct pecuniary interest with the candidates. 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 18 |
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| 48 | 48 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 19 |
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