Bill Text: AZ SB1456 | 2022 | Fifty-fifth Legislature 2nd Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Presidential preference caucuses; independent voters
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-31 - Senate read second time [SB1456 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2022-SB1456-Introduced.html
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REFERENCE TITLE: presidential preference caucuses; independent voters |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session 2022
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SB 1456 |
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Introduced by Senators Quezada: Gonzales
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AN ACT
amending sections 16-168, 16-193, 16-241, 16-242 and 16-243, Arizona Revised Statutes; repealing sections 16-244, 16-245, 16-246, 16-247, 16-248, 16-249 and 16-250, Arizona Revised Statutes; amending section 16-602, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the presidential preference election.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 16-168, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-168. Precinct registers; date of preparation; contents; copies; reports; statewide database; violation; classification
A. By the tenth day preceding the primary and general elections the county recorder shall prepare from the original registration forms or from electronic media at least four lists that are printed or typed on paper, or at least two electronic media poll lists, or any combination of both, of all qualified electors in each precinct in the county, and the lists shall be the official precinct registers.
B. The official precinct registers for use at the polling place shall contain at least the names in full, party preference, date of registration and residence address of each qualified elector in the respective precincts. The names shall be in alphabetical order and, in a column to the left of the names, shall be numbered consecutively beginning with number 1 in each precinct register.
C. For the purposes of transmitting voter registration information as prescribed by this subsection, electronic media shall be the principal media. A county or state chairman who is eligible to receive copies of precinct lists as prescribed by this subsection may request that the recorder provide a paper copy of the precinct lists. In addition to preparing the official precinct lists, the county recorder shall provide a means for electronically reproducing the precinct lists. Unless otherwise agreed, the county recorder shall deliver one electronic media copy of each precinct list in the county without charge and on the same day within eight days after the close of registration for the primary and general elections to the county chairman and one electronic media copy to the state chairman of each party that has at least four candidates other than presidential electors appearing on the ballot in that county at the current election. The secretary of state shall establish a single format that prescribes the manner and template in which all county recorders provide this data to the secretary of state to ensure that the submissions are uniform from all counties in this state, that all submissions are identical in format, including the level of detail for voting history, and that information may readily be combined from two or more counties. The electronic media copies of the precinct lists that are delivered to the party chairmen shall include for each elector the following information:
1. Name in full and appropriate title.
2. Party preference.
3. Date of registration.
4. Residence address.
5. Mailing address, if different from residence address.
6. Zip code.
7. Telephone number if given.
8. Birth year.
9. Occupation if given.
10. Voting history for all elections in the prior four years and any other information regarding registered voters that the county recorder or city or town clerk maintains electronically and that is public information.
11. All data relating to early voters, including ballot requests and ballot returns.
D. The names on the precinct lists shall be in alphabetical order and the precinct lists in their entirety, unless otherwise agreed, shall be delivered to each county chairman and each state chairman within ten business days of the close of each date for counting registered voters prescribed by subsection G of this section other than the primary and general election registered voter counts in the same format and media as prescribed by subsection C of this section. During the thirty-three days immediately preceding an election and on request from a county or state chairman, the county recorder shall provide at no cost a daily list of persons who have requested an early ballot and shall provide at no cost a weekly listing of persons who have returned their early ballots. The recorder shall provide the daily and weekly information through the Friday preceding the election. On request from a county chairman or state chairman, the county recorder of a county with a population of more than eight hundred thousand persons shall provide at no cost a daily listing of persons who have returned their early ballots. The daily listing shall be provided Mondays through Fridays, beginning with the first Monday following the start of early voting and ending on the Monday before the election.
E. Precinct registers and other lists and information derived from registration forms may be used only for purposes relating to a political or political party activity, a political campaign or an election, for revising election district boundaries or for any other purpose specifically authorized by law and may not be used for a commercial purpose as defined in section 39-121.03. The sale of registers, lists and information derived from registration forms to a candidate or a registered political committee for a use specifically authorized by this subsection does not constitute use for a commercial purpose. The county recorder, the secretary of state and other officers in charge of elections, on a request for an authorized use and within thirty days from receipt of the request, shall prepare additional copies of an official precinct list and furnish them to any person requesting them on payment of a fee equal to the following amounts for the following number of voter registration records provided:
1. For one to one hundred twenty-four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine records, $93.75 plus $0.0005 per record.
2. For one hundred twenty-five thousand to two hundred forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine records, $156.25 plus $0.000375 per record.
3. For two hundred fifty thousand to four hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine records, $203.13 plus $0.00025 per record.
4. For five hundred thousand to nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine records, $265.63 plus $0.000125 per record.
5. For one million or more records, $328.13 plus $0.0000625 per record.
F. Any person in possession of a precinct register or list, in whole or part, or any reproduction of a precinct register or list, shall not permit the register or list to be used, bought, sold or otherwise transferred for any purpose except for uses otherwise authorized by this section. A person in possession of information derived from voter registration forms or precinct registers shall not distribute, post or otherwise provide access to any portion of that information through the internet except as authorized by subsection I of this section. Nothing in this section shall preclude public inspection of voter registration records at the office of the county recorder for the purposes prescribed by this section, except that the month and day of birth date, the social security number or any portion thereof, the driver license number or nonoperating identification license number, the Indian census number, the father's name or mother's maiden name, the state or country of birth and the records containing a voter's signature and a voter's e-mail email address shall not be accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter, by an authorized government official in the scope of the official's duties, for any purpose by an entity designated by the secretary of state as a voter registration agency pursuant to the national voter registration act of 1993 (P.L. 103-31; 107 Stat. 77), for signature verification on petitions and candidate filings, for election purposes and for news gathering purposes by a person engaged in newspaper, radio, television or reportorial work, or connected with or employed by a newspaper, radio or television station or pursuant to a court order. Notwithstanding any other law, a voter's e-mail email address may not be released for any purpose. A person who violates this subsection or subsection E of this section is guilty of a class 6 felony.
G. The county recorder shall count the registered voters by political party by precinct, legislative district and congressional district as follows:
1. In even numbered years, the county recorder shall count all persons who are registered to vote as of:
(a) January 2.
(b) April 1.
(c) The last day on which a person may register to be eligible to vote in the next primary election.
(d) The last day on which a person may register to be eligible to vote in the next general election.
(e) The last day on which a person may register to be eligible to vote in the next presidential preference election caucus.
2. In odd numbered years, the county recorder shall count all persons who are registered to vote as of:
(a) January 2.
(b) April 1.
(c) July 1.
(d) October 1.
H. The county recorder shall report the totals to the secretary of state as soon as is practicable following each of the dates prescribed in subsection G of this section. The report shall include completed registration forms returned in accordance with section 16-134, subsection B. The county recorder shall also provide the report in a uniform electronic computer media format that shall be agreed on between the secretary of state and all county recorders. The secretary of state shall then prepare a summary report for the state and shall maintain that report as a permanent record.
I. The county recorder and the secretary of state shall protect access to voter registration information in an auditable format and method specified in the secretary of state's electronic voting system instructions and procedures manual that is adopted pursuant to section 16-452.
J. The secretary of state shall develop and administer a statewide database of voter registration information that contains the name and registration information of every registered voter in this state. The statewide database is a matter of statewide concern and is not subject to modification or further regulation by a political subdivision. The database shall include an identifier that is unique for each individual voter. The database shall provide for access by voter registration officials and shall allow expedited entry of voter registration information after it is received by county recorders. As a part of the statewide voter registration database, county recorders shall provide for the electronic transmittal of that information to the secretary of state on a real time basis. The secretary of state shall provide for maintenance of the database, including provisions regarding removal of ineligible voters that are consistent with the national voter registration act of 1993 (P.L. 103-31; 107 Stat. 77; 52 United States Code sections 20501 through 20511) and the help America vote act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252; 116 Stat. 1666; 52 United States Code sections 20901 through 21145), provisions regarding removal of duplicate registrations and provisions to ensure that eligible voters are not removed in error. For the purpose of maintaining compliance with the help America vote act of 2002, each county voter registration system is subject to approval by the secretary of state for compatibility with the statewide voter registration database system.
K. Except as provided in subsection L of this section, for requests for the use of registration forms and access to information as provided in subsections E and F of this section, the county recorder shall receive and respond to requests regarding federal, state and county elections.
L. Beginning January 1, 2008, recognized political parties shall request precinct lists and access to information as provided in subsections E and F of this section during the time periods prescribed in subsection C or D of this section and the county recorder shall receive and respond to those requests. If the county recorder does not provide the requested materials within the applicable time prescribed for the county recorder pursuant to subsection C or D of this section, a recognized political party may request that the secretary of state provide precinct lists and access to information as provided in subsections E and F of this section for federal, state and county elections. The secretary of state shall not provide access to precinct lists and information for recognized political parties unless the county recorder has failed or refused to provide the lists and materials as prescribed by this section. The secretary of state may charge the county recorder a fee determined by rule for each name or record produced.
M. For municipal registration information in those municipalities in which the county administers the municipal elections, county and state party chairmen shall request and obtain voter registration information and precinct lists from the city or town clerk during the time periods prescribed in subsection C or D of this section. If the city or town clerk does not provide that information within the same time prescribed for county recorders pursuant to subsection C or D of this section, the county or state party chairman may request and obtain the information from the county recorder. The county recorder shall provide the municipal voter registration and precinct lists within the time prescribed in subsection C or D of this section.
N. The county recorders and the secretary of state shall not prohibit any person or entity prescribed in subsection C of this section from distributing a precinct list to any person or entity that is deemed to be using the precinct list in a lawful manner as prescribed in subsections E and F of this section.
Sec. 2. Section 16-193, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-193. Active registered voters; applicability
The terms "registered voters", "persons who are registered to vote", "registered electors" and "voters registered" as used in the following sections include only active registered voters for purposes of the following:
1. Calculating petition signature requirements pursuant to sections 11-133, 16-322, 16-341, 45-415, 45-433, 48-4433 and 48-4832.
2. Mailing and distributing election-related notices, pamphlets or ballots pursuant to sections 11-137, 15-905.01, 16-245, 16-412, 16-461, 16-510, 19-123, 19-141, 35-454, 41-563.02, 42-6109.01, 42-17057, 42-17107, 48-620, 48-4021, 48-4236, 48-5314, 48-6432 and 48-6433.
3. Furnishing ballots pursuant to sections 16-508 and 48-685.
4. Determining qualification for political parties' continued representation on the ballot pursuant to sections 16-244 and section 16-804.
5. Choosing political party officers pursuant to sections 16-821 and 16-823.
Sec. 3. Heading change
The article heading of title 16, chapter 2, article 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, is changed from "PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE ELECTION" to "PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE CAUCUS".
Sec. 4. Section 16-241, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-241. Presidential preference caucus
A. A Presidential preference election caucuses shall be held on the Tuesday immediately following March 15 of each year in which the President of the United States is elected to give qualified electors the opportunity to express their preference for the presidential candidate of the political party indicated as their preference by the record of their registration of their choosing. Presidential preference caucuses shall allow participation by persons who are registered independent or no party PREFERENCE. No other election may appear on the same ballot as the presidential preference election.
B. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, the governor may issue a proclamation that the presidential preference election is to be held on a date later than the date prescribed in subsection A of this section. The proclamation shall be issued no later than one hundred eighty days before the date of the election as set forth in the proclamation. The governor shall transmit a copy of the election proclamation to the clerks of the county boards of supervisors.
C. Except as otherwise provided in this article, the presidential preference election shall be conducted and canvassed in the same manner as prescribed in this title for the primary election held pursuant to section 16-201. All provisions of other laws that govern elections and that are not in conflict with this article apply to a presidential preference election, including laws relating to registration and qualifications of electors.
D. Unless otherwise specifically prescribed by this article, the powers and duties conferred by law on boards of supervisors, officers in charge of elections, county recorders, precinct boards and central counting boards in connection with a primary election are conferred on those persons for purposes of a presidential preference election and shall be exercised by them for a presidential preference election.
E. Every act that is an offense pursuant to the election laws of this state is an offense for purposes of a presidential preference election, and a person is subject to the penalties prescribed by those laws.
Sec. 5. Section 16-242, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-242. Qualifications for ballot; nomination paper
A. A person seeking nomination as a candidate for the office of president of the United States shall sign and cause to be filed with the secretary of state a nomination paper that contains the following information:
1. The name, residence address and mailing address of the candidate.
2. The name of the recognized political party from which the person seeks nomination.
3. The name and address of the chairman of the candidate's state committee.
4. The exact manner for printing the candidate's name on the presidential preference ballot pursuant to section 16-311.
B. The nomination paper shall be filed not less than one hundred days nor more than one hundred thirty days before the presidential preference election caucus and not later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing. If the last day for filing falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the nomination paper shall be filed not later than 5:00 p.m. on the next business day.
C. A candidate for the office of president of the United States shall file with the secretary of state nomination petitions signed by at least five hundred qualified electors who are qualified to vote for the candidate whose nomination petition they are signing for that election or, for recognized parties with fewer than fifty thousand registered voters, nomination petitions signed by at least five hundred qualified electors of any political party affiliation who, at the time they sign, are registered voters. The nomination petitions shall be filed within the time period prescribed by subsection B of this section.
D. Nomination petitions shall conform to the requirements of section 16-314.
E. In lieu of the petition requirements of this section, a candidate may qualify to appear on the presidential preference election caucus ballot of the candidate's political party by filing with the secretary of state during the time period prescribed by subsection B of this section a notice of candidacy signed by the candidate and evidence that by the filing deadline the candidate's name is qualified to appear on the presidential preference election caucus ballot of the candidate's political party in at least two other states.
F. Within seventy-two hours after the close of filing the secretary of state shall certify to the officer in charge of elections publish the names of the candidates who are qualified for the presidential preference election caucus ballot.
Sec. 6. Section 16-243, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-243. National convention delegates; vote for candidates
A. The operation of the caucuses and the selection of delegates to the political party national conventions shall be as provided in the bylaws of each state party, except that persons who are registered as INDEPENDENT or no party preference shall be allowed to participate and vote in a political party CAUCUS.
B. At the political party national convention, each delegate to the national convention shall vote for the party's presidential nominee candidate who received the greatest number of votes in the presidential preference election caucus until the candidate is nominated for the office of President of the United States by the convention, until the candidate releases the delegate from the delegate's obligation, until a candidate withdraws from the race or until one convention nominating ballot has been taken. After a candidate is nominated, withdraws from the race, delegates are released or one ballot is taken, each delegate is free to vote as the delegate chooses, and no rule may be adopted by a delegation requiring the delegation to vote as a body or causing the vote of any delegate to go uncounted or unreported.
Sec. 7. Repeal
Sections 16-244, 16-245, 16-246, 16-247, 16-248, 16-249 and 16-250, Arizona Revised Statutes, are repealed.
Sec. 8. Section 16-602, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-602. Removal of ballots from ballot boxes; designated margin; hand counts; vote count verification committee
A. For any primary, special or general election in which the votes are cast on an electronic voting machine or tabulator, the election judge shall compare the number of votes cast as indicated on the machine or tabulator with the number of votes cast as indicated on the poll list and the number of provisional ballots cast and that information shall be noted in a written report prepared and submitted to the officer in charge of elections along with other tally reports.
B. For each countywide primary, special, and general and presidential preference election, the county officer in charge of the election shall conduct a hand count at one or more secure facilities. The hand count shall be conducted as prescribed by this section and in accordance with hand count procedures established by the secretary of state in the official instructions and procedures manual adopted pursuant to section 16-452. The hand count is not subject to the live video requirements of section 16-621, subsection D, but the party representatives who are observing the hand count may bring their own video cameras in order to record the hand count. The recording shall not interfere with the conduct of the hand count and the officer in charge of the election may prohibit from recording or remove from the facility persons who are taking actions to disrupt the count. The sole act of recording the hand count does not constitute sufficient grounds for the officer in charge of the election to prohibit observers from recording or to remove them from the facility. The hand count shall be conducted in the following order:
1. At least two percent of the precincts in that county, or two precincts, whichever is greater, shall be selected at random from a pool consisting of every precinct in that county. The county political party chairman for each political party that is entitled to continued representation on the state ballot or the chairman's designee shall conduct the selection of the precincts to be hand counted. The precincts shall be selected by lot without the use of a computer, and the order of selection by the county political party chairmen shall also be by lot. The selection of the precincts shall not begin until all ballots voted in the precinct polling places have been delivered to the central counting center. The unofficial vote totals from all precincts shall be made public before selecting the precincts to be hand counted. Only the ballots cast in the polling places and ballots from direct recording electronic machines shall be included in the hand counts conducted pursuant to this section. Provisional ballots, conditional provisional ballots and write-in votes shall not be included in the hand counts and the early ballots shall be grouped separately by the officer in charge of elections for purposes of a separate manual audit pursuant to subsection F of this section.
2. The races to be counted on the ballots from the precincts that were selected pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection for each primary, special and general election shall include up to five contested races. After the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections separates the primary ballots by political party, the races to be counted shall be determined by selecting by lot without the use of a computer from those ballots as follows:
(a) For a general election, one statewide ballot measure, unless there are no measures on the ballot.
(b) One contested statewide race for statewide office.
(c) One contested race for federal office, either United States senate or United States house of representatives. If the United States house of representatives race is selected, the names of the candidates may vary among the sampled precincts.
(d) One contested race for state legislative office, either state house of representatives or state senate. In either case, the names of the candidates may vary among the sampled precincts.
(e) If there are fewer than four contested races resulting from the selections made pursuant to subdivisions (a) through (d) of this section paragraph and if there are additional contested federal, statewide or legislative races or ballot measures, additional contested races shall be selected by lot not using a computer until four races have been selected or until no additional contested federal, statewide or legislative races or ballot measures are available for selection.
(f) If there are no contested races as prescribed by this paragraph, a hand count shall not be conducted for that precinct for that election.
3. For the presidential preference election, select by lot two percent of the polling places designated and used pursuant to section 16-248 and perform the hand count of those ballots.
4. 3. For the purposes of this section, a write-in candidacy in a race does not constitute a contested race.
5. 4. In elections in which there are candidates for president, the presidential race shall be added to the four categories of hand counted races.
6. 5. Each county chairman of a political party that is entitled to continued representation on the state ballot or the chairman's designee shall select by lot the individual races to be hand counted pursuant to this section.
7. 6. The county chairman of each political party shall designate and provide the number of election board members as designated by the county officer in charge of elections who shall perform the hand count under the supervision of the county officer in charge of elections. For each precinct that is to be audited, the county chairmen shall designate at least two board workers who are registered members of any or no political party to assist with the audit. Any qualified elector from this state may be a board worker without regard to party designation. The county election officer shall provide for compensation for those board workers, not to include travel, meal or lodging expenses. If there are less than two persons for each audited precinct available to participate on behalf of each recognized political party, the recorder or officer in charge of elections, with the approval of at least two county party chairpersons in the county in which the shortfall occurs, shall substitute additional individual electors who are provided by any political party from anywhere in the state without regard to party designation to conduct the hand count. A county party chairman shall approve only those substitute electors who are provided by the county chairman's political party. The political parties shall provide to the recorder or officer in charge of elections in writing the names of those persons intending to participate in the hand count at the audited precincts not later than 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding the election. If the total number of board workers provided by all parties is less than four times the number of precincts to be audited, the recorder or officer in charge of elections shall notify the parties of the shortage by 9:00 a.m. on the Wednesday preceding the election. The hand count shall not proceed unless the political parties provide the recorder or officer in charge of elections, in writing, a sufficient number of persons by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the election and a sufficient number of persons, pursuant to this paragraph, arrive to perform the hand count. The recorder or officer in charge of elections may prohibit persons from participating in the hand count if they are taking actions to disrupt the count or are unable to perform the duties as assigned. For the hand count to proceed, not more than seventy-five percent of the persons performing the hand count shall be from the same political party.
8. 7. If a political party is not represented by a designated chairperson within a county, the state chairperson for that political party, or a person designated by the state chairperson, may perform the actions required by the county chairperson as specified in this section.
C. If the randomly selected races result in a difference in any race that is less than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation of those same ballots, the results of the electronic tabulation constitute the official count for that race. If the randomly selected races result in a difference in any race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation of those same ballots, a second hand count of those same ballots and races shall be performed. If the second hand count results in a difference in any race that is less than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation for those same ballots, the electronic tabulation constitutes the official count for that race. If the second hand count results in a difference in any race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation for those same ballots, the hand count shall be expanded to include a total of twice the original number of randomly selected precincts. Those additional precincts shall be selected by lot without the use of a computer.
D. In any expanded count of randomly selected precincts, if the randomly selected precinct hand counts result in a difference in any race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation of those same ballots, the final hand count shall be extended to include the entire jurisdiction for that race. If the jurisdictional boundary for that race would include any portion of more than one county, the final hand count shall not be extended into the precincts of that race that are outside of the county that is conducting the expanded hand count. If the expanded hand count results in a difference in that race that is less than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation of those same ballots, the electronic tabulation constitutes the official count for that race.
E. If a final hand count is performed for an entire jurisdiction for a race, the final hand count shall be repeated for that race until a hand count for that race for the entire jurisdiction results in a count that is identical to one other hand count for that race for the entire jurisdiction and that hand count constitutes the official count for that race.
F. After the electronic tabulation of early ballots and at one or more times selected by the chairman of the political parties entitled to continued representation on the ballot or the chairman's designee, the chairmen or the chairmen's designees shall randomly select one or more batches of early ballots that have been tabulated to include at least one batch from each machine used for tabulating early ballots and those ballots shall be securely sequestered by the county recorder or officer in charge of elections along with their unofficial tally reports for a postelection manual audit. The chairmen or the chairmen's designees shall randomly select from those sequestered early ballots a number equal to one percent of the total number of early ballots cast or five thousand early ballots, whichever is less. From those randomly selected early ballots, the county officer in charge of elections shall conduct a manual audit of the same races that are being hand counted pursuant to subsection B of this section. If the manual audit of the early ballots results in a difference in any race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to the electronically tabulated results for those same early ballots, the manual audit shall be repeated for those same early ballots. If the second manual audit results in a difference in that race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to the electronically tabulated results for those same early ballots, the manual audit shall be expanded only for that race to a number of additional early ballots equal to one percent of the total early ballots cast or an additional five thousand ballots, whichever is less, to be randomly selected from the batch or batches of sequestered early ballots. If the expanded early ballot manual audit results in a difference for that race that is equal to or greater than the designated margin when compared to any of the earlier manual counts for that race, the manual counts shall be repeated for that race until a manual count results in a difference in that race that is less than the designated margin. If at any point in the manual audit of early ballots the difference between any manual count of early ballots is less than the designated margin when compared to the electronic tabulation of those ballots, the electronic tabulation shall be included in the canvass and no further manual audit of the early ballots shall be conducted.
G. During any hand count of early ballots, the county officer in charge of elections and election board workers shall attempt to determine the intent of the voter in casting the ballot.
H. Notwithstanding any other law, the county officer in charge of elections shall retain custody of the ballots for purposes of performing any required hand counts and the officer shall provide for security for those ballots.
I. The hand counts prescribed by this section shall begin within twenty-four hours after the closing of the polls and shall be completed before the canvassing of the election for that county. The results of those hand counts shall be provided to the secretary of state, who shall make those results publicly available on the secretary of state's website.
J. For any county in which a hand count has been expanded to all precincts in the jurisdiction, the secretary of state shall make available the escrowed source code for that county to the superior court. The superior court shall appoint a special master to review the computer software. The special master shall have expertise in software engineering, shall not be affiliated with an election software vendor nor with a candidate, shall sign and be bound by a nondisclosure agreement regarding the source code itself and shall issue a public report to the court and to the secretary of state regarding the special master's findings on the reasons for the discrepancies. The secretary of state shall consider the reports for purposes of reviewing the certification of that equipment and software for use in this state.
K. The vote count verification committee is established in the office of the secretary of state and all of the following apply:
1. At least thirty days before the 2006 primary election, The secretary of state shall appoint seven persons to the committee, not more than three of whom are members of the same political party.
2. Members of the committee shall have expertise in any two or more of the areas of advanced mathematics, statistics, random selection methods, systems operations or voting systems.
3. A person is not eligible to be a committee member if that person has been affiliated with or received any income in the preceding five years from any person or entity that provides election equipment or services in this state.
4. The vote count verification committee shall meet and establish one or more designated margins to be used in reviewing the hand counting of votes as required pursuant to this section. The committee shall review and consider revising the designated margins every two years for use in the applicable elections. The committee shall provide the designated margins to the secretary of state at least ten days before the primary election and at least ten days before the general election, and the secretary of state shall make that information publicly available on the secretary of state's website.
5. Members of the vote count verification committee are not eligible to receive compensation but are eligible for reimbursement of expenses pursuant to title 38, chapter 4, article 2. The committee is a public body and its meetings are subject to title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1 and its reports and records are subject to title 39, chapter 1.
