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An Act Requiring the Municipal Clerk To Inspect Municipal Election Ballots
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §2528, sub-§6-B  is enacted to read:
 
6-B.   Inspection of ballots in an election.     Upon receipt of a package or box containing absentee ballots for an election, the municipal clerk shall open the sealed package or box of ballots and verify that the ballots do not contain any errors and that the correct number of ballots has been received. The clerk shall then proceed to issue absentee ballots in response to pending requests. Upon receipt of a package or box containing regular ballots for an election, the clerk shall open, in the presence of one or more witnesses, the sealed package or box of ballots and verify that the ballots do not contain any errors and that the correct number of ballots has been received. Ballots to be used for testing electronic tabulating devices may be removed at this time and immediately marked with the word "TEST" across the front side of the ballot in black or blue indelible ink. The clerk shall keep a record of the number of ballots used for testing purposes and seal the record with the test ballots in a container labeled "TEST BALLOTS" at the conclusion of the testing. The clerk shall then reseal the package or box of regular ballots and secure the package or box of ballots until election day, when it is delivered to the warden at the polling place.
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §2554, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:
 
1-A.   Inspection of ballots in an election.     The municipal clerk shall inspect ballots in accordance with section 2528, subsection 6-B.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires municipal clerks to inspect ballots prior to municipal elections.