HB2308

THE CONTEXT: An Assistant Secretary of State must be appointed to perform official duties in the Secretary of State's absence or when the Secretary of State is acting as Governor ( A. R.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would restricts the Secretary of State from taking any actions that pertain to an election for which they are a candidate and clarify that the Secretary of State (SOS) is prohibited from performing any actions pertaining to election operations in an election in which the SOS is a candidate, except for the SOS's constitutional duty to certify the statewide canvass.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make election administration and accountability rules for secretary of state more definite. It would restricts the Secretary of State from taking any actions that pertain to an election for which they are a candidate, and would also clarify that the Secretary of State (SOS) is prohibited from performing any actions pertaining to election operations in an election in which the SOS is a candidate, except for the SOS's constitutional duty to certify the statewide canvass, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.