SB145 SUB1
Senate Bill 145 History
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COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 145
(By Senator Unger)
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[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary;
reported February 20, 2013.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §3-1-50 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to the administrative procedure in
response to election-related complaints; clarifying language
to allow the procedure to be utilized for certain federal
election violations; and providing an exception to the
procedure for certain allegations that may result in a finding
of a criminal violation.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §3-1-50 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS.
§3-1-50. Establishment of state-based administrative complaint
procedures.
(a) The Secretary of State shall establish and maintain a state-based administrative complaint procedure for complaints
received concerning election violations which shall meet the
following requirements:
(1) The procedures shall be uniform and nondiscriminatory.
(2) Under the procedures, any person who believes that there
is a violation of any provision of this chapter or Title III of the
Help America Vote Act, Pub. L. 107-252, including a violation which
has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur, may file a
complaint.
(3) Any complaint filed under the procedures shall be in
writing, notarized and signed and sworn by the person filing the
complaint.
(4) The Secretary of State may consolidate complaints filed
under this section.
(5) At the request of the complainant there shall be a hearing
on the record.
(6) Violations of any provision of this chapter shall be
punishable in accordance with the provisions of article nine of
this chapter.
(7) If, under the procedures, the Secretary of State
determines that there is no violation, the Secretary of State shall
dismiss the complaint and publish the results of the procedures.
(8) The Secretary of State shall make a final determination
with respect to a complaint prior to the expiration of the ninety-day period which begins on the date the complaint is filed
unless the complainant consents to a longer period for making a
determination.
(9) If the Secretary of State fails to meet the deadline
applicable under subdivision (8) of this section, the complaint
shall be resolved within sixty days under alternative dispute
resolution procedures established for purposes of this section. The
record and other materials from any proceedings conducted under the
complaint procedures established under this section shall be made
available for use under the alternative dispute resolution
procedures.
(b) The administrative complaint procedure required by
subsection (a) of this section is not applicable if, within thirty
days of the filing of the complaint:
(1) The Secretary of State
initiates an investigation;
(2) the Secretary of State determines
that the allegations contained in the complaint may result in a
finding of a criminal violation; and (3) the Secretary of State
determines that the administrative complaint procedure required by
this section would endanger or impede the associated criminal
investigation: Provided, That within three business days thereafter
the Secretary of State shall notify the complainant in writing that
the allegations contained in the complaint may result in a finding
of a criminal violation and, therefore, the administrative
procedure contained in this section is inapplicable.