Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 4, 2013 09:48 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Rob W. Kauffman |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Casting of Lots - Ballots |
| In the near future I will be introducing legislation regarding the placement of candidate names on the primary ballot. Specifically, my legislation would require higher ballot positions to be given to candidates who appear in person for the casting of lots. Under the Election Code of 1937, the order in which names are placed on the primary ballot is decided by casting lots. When the casting of lots occurs before the county board or the Department of state, a candidate can choose to appear in person or send an authorized agent on his or her behalf. In the event a candidate or an authorized agent is not present for the casting of lots, the Department or the county board is required to assign a person to represent the candidate. Currently, a candidate who does not appear in person for the casting of lots is still able to receive a higher ballot position than a candidate who appears in person, which is unfair. Running for elected office is a serious commitment, and I believe candidates who appear in person should be eligible for the higher positions on the ballot. Under my legislation, a county board or the Department of State would first cast lots for the highest positions on the ballot for the candidates who appear in person. If one candidate does not appear in person, he or she would have the lowest ballot position. If more than one candidate does not appear in person, the county board or the Department would cast lots for the remaining lower positions. For example, if three candidates appear in person and two do not, the three who appeared in person would first cast lots for the top three positions and the two who did not appear in person would cast lots for the lowest two positions on the ballot. Should you have any questions regarding this legislation, please feel free to contact my office at 705-2004 or emaynard@pahousegop.com. Thank you. |
Introduced as HB1758