| | | Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do | | not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless | | enacted as emergencies; and |
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| | | Whereas, federal law requires that the State implement certain | | voting systems standards no later then January 1, 2006; and |
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| | | Whereas, in order to adopt those standards, it is vital that a | | stakeholders group begin its work immediately so that a | | legislative proposal may be crafted and acted upon before the | | adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 122nd | | Legislature; and |
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| | | Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create | | an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and | | require the following legislation as immediately necessary for | | the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, | | therefore, be it |
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| | | Sec. 1. Voting systems standards. Resolved: That, pursuant to the federal | | Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252, Section 301, | | the State shall adopt and implement by January 1, 2006 voting | | systems standards that apply uniformly and in a nondiscriminatory | | manner and that define what constitutes a vote and what must be | | counted as a vote for each category of voting system used in the | | State; and be it further |
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| | | Sec. 2. Secretary of State to convene stakeholders group. Resolved: That the | | Secretary of State shall convene a group of stakeholders to | | review the relevant case law and the law in other states | | regarding the standards required under section 1 and to develop | | proposed legislation to accomplish the implementation of the | | standards; and be it further |
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| | | Sec. 3. Submission to joint standing committee. Resolved: That the Secretary | | of State shall submit a report of the stakeholders' review, | | including proposed legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee | | on Legal and Veterans Affairs by March 11, 2005 and the committee | | may submit a bill based on the report to the First Regular | | Session of the 122nd Legislature. |
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| | | Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, | | this resolve takes effect when approved. |
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| | | This resolve directs the Secretary of State to convene a | | stakeholders group to develop for the State certain voting | | systems standards required by the federal Help America Vote Act | | of 2002, Public Law 107-252, Section 301. |
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