PDF Version

Fiscal Note & Local Impact Statement

127 th General Assembly of Ohio

Ohio Legislative Service Commission

77 South High Street, 9th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-6136 ² Phone: (614) 466-3615

² Internet Web Site: http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/

BILL:

Sub. H.B. 350

DATE:

March 20, 2008

STATUS:

As Reported by House State Government and Elections

SPONSOR:

Rep. Wolpert

LOCAL IMPACT STATEMENT REQUIRED:

No —

Permissive

 

CONTENTS:

To permit college and university students to serve as precinct election officials, allow voters to be assigned to other precincts in special elections, and make other changes

 

State Fiscal Highlights

 

·        No direct fiscal effect on the state.

Local Fiscal Highlights

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

FY 2008

FY 2009

FUTURE YEARS

County Boards of Elections

     Revenues

-0-

-0-

-0-

     Expenditures

Potential increase

Potential increase

Potential increase

Note:  For most local governments, the fiscal year is the calendar year.  The school district fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

·        The bill allows boards of elections to assign voters to different precincts under certain conditions.  Should they do so, there could be increased costs for relocating voters to different precincts, but the additional expense could be offset by savings from not having to open certain precincts during special elections.

·        The provisions concerning student participation as precinct officials appear to have no new fiscal effect. 

 

 

Detailed Fiscal Analysis

 

Student service at elections precincts

 

The bill permits a student at an institution of higher education located within Ohio and who is registered to vote in Ohio to serve as a precinct election official in either a precinct in the county in which the student is registered or a precinct in the county in which the institution of higher education the student attends is located.  The bill also modifies current law permitting high school seniors to serve as precinct officers at elections.  Under the bill up to two students who are under 18 years of age and participating in the program may serve as precinct officers in a precinct, if the precinct has six or more precinct officers.  If a precinct has fewer than six precinct officers not more than one of those officers may be under 18 years of age.  These changes do not appear to have any fiscal effect on political subdivisions.

 

Assigning voters to other precincts

 

The bill specifies certain conditions under which boards of elections can assign voters to other precincts in special elections.  In such cases, up to 200 voters could be assigned to vote in a precinct in another county.  If counties agree to do so, there could be increased administrative costs associated with relocating those voters to a different precinct.  However, it is possible that some savings could result.  If all registered voters in a precinct were relocated under this authority, a county board of elections would reduce its costs by not having to open a precinct for a special election.  Presumably, cross-county voting of this nature would only occur in instances where voters at precincts in each county were operating with identical ballots.  This would be the case, for example, for a special election to fill a vacant Congressional seat.

 

 

 

 

LSC fiscal staff:  Terry Steele, Budget Analyst

 

HB0350HR/th