COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

OVERSIGHT DIVISION

FISCAL NOTE

L.R. No.:         5371-04

Bill No.:          SCS for HCS for HB 2321

Subject:           Conservation Department: Voter Registration

Type:              Original

Date:               May 14, 2008

Bill Summary:            Allows voter registration with applications for resident hunting and fishing permits. Modifies law relating to petition circulators.

FISCAL SUMMARY

Numbers within parentheses: ( ) indicate costs or losses.

This fiscal note contains 7 pages.

☐ Estimated Total Net Effect on All funds expected to exceed $100,000 savings or (cost).

☐ Estimated Net Effect on General Revenue Fund expected to exceed $100,000 (cost).

FISCAL ANALYSIS

ASSUMPTION

Officials of the Office of the Attorney General stated that any potential costs arising from this proposal would be absorbed with existing resources.

Officials of the Office of State Courts Administrator assume no fiscal impact on the Courts.

Officials of the Department of Corrections stated that the fiscal impact related to the provisions of Section 115.164.2 could be absorbed with current resources. Section 115.631 creates the penalty of which violation of would be a class B felony. Officials stated that fiscal impact is unknown but would be less than $100,000 per year.

Officials of the Office of the Secretary of State assume the bill as currently written, would require the Secretary of State’s office to develop a program to identify persons that are not registered voters in the Department of Conservation and in the Division of Probation & Parole database by matching the databases against the statewide voter registration database. A voter registration application would be mailed to each person eligible to register to vote that was identified as not being a registered voter.

The cost of printing additional postcards voter registration applications to meet this requirement is $5,387 for 55,000 postcards.

Postage for mailing 55,000 voter registration applications would have an estimated cost of $28,600.

The cost of additional staff at the secretary of state’s office to fulfill the requests in an expedited manner would be over $32,000 per year.

The cost of additional programming to the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration Database will be $44,200.

Officials estimate they would need one part-time Office Services Assistant, and one Technician II. Annual personnel costs is estimated to be in FY 2009, $33,460; in FY 2010, $41,357 and in FY 2011 $42,598. Total costs for personnel, fringe benefits, and equipment and expense in FY 2009 is $130,139; in FY 2010 $94,750; and in FY 2011 $97,693.

ASSUMPTION (continued)

Section 116.080 - Officials of the Office of the Secretary of State stated that they receive an unknown number of petitions each fiscal year. Determining that each petition circulator is at least 18 years of age, never been convicted of forgery, is a resident of Missouri, and is registered with the Secretary of State will add to the verification process.

Currently, the Secretary of State’s practice regarding petitions is that each petition circulator may complete a form. On the Internet, it is (http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/pubs/makeyourvoiceheard/MakingYourVoiceHeard.pdf) swearing or affirming their name, residential or mailing address, the name of the petition, telephone number, whether or not they are to be paid for soliciting signatures, and the name of the person from whom payment is expected. The form will be revised to accommodate this proposed new legislation.

The number of petitions received in fiscal year 2008 is five.

For verification of petition circulators for each petition, the process will be to 1. Alphabetize the approximately 600 forms of potential petition circulators; 2. Enter the data; 3. Cross-check with the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration database.

Assumption: An increase of one petition per fiscal year; 12 minutes per petition circulator

720 hours per year.

600 petition circulators

  x 6 petitions

3,600 x 12 minutes per name = 43,200 minutes

43,200 minutes / 60 = 720 hours

Oversight assumes the workload would be distributed throughout the year and assume one Technician II could handle the workload.

Officials of the Department of Conservation assume they would have minor costs of less than $10,000 annually. Officials assume the costs would be an estimated $3000 plus some administrative costs.

Officials of the Platte County Board of Election Commission assume no fiscal impact from this proposal.

FISCAL IMPACT - Small Business

No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.

FISCAL DESCRIPTION

The act requires the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and the Department of Corrections, to send voter registration application forms to applicants for resident hunting or fishing permits and those recently released from probation and parole.

Any person who knowingly signs a name other than his or her own to a voter registration application is guilty of a Class B felony. Persons who provide identification to an election official to cast a ballot with the knowledge that the identification is false shall be guilty of a Class B felony. Individuals who willfully and falsely complete any certificate, affidavit or ballot of another individual in relation to absentee ballots are guilty of a Class B felony.

Circulators shall be Missouri residents, shall not be paid on a per signature basis, receive signatures by mail or via the internet, or circulate more than one petition at a time. Circulators shall submit to the Secretary of State, information affirming the fulfillment of all requirements before collecting signatures. Those who have committed forgery are prohibited from circulating petitions.

Currently, persons who sign a name other than their own on a petition are guilty of a class A misdemeanor. Under this act those who knowingly do so are guilty of a class one election offense.

This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not require additional capital improvements or rental space.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Office of the Attorney General

Office of the State Courts Administrator

Department of Corrections 

Office of the Secretary of State

Missouri Department of Conservation

Platte County Board of Election Commission

NOT RESPONDING

Kansas City Board of Election

Jackson County Board of Election Commission

St. Louis City Board of Election Commission

St. Louis County Board of Election Commission

Clay County Board of Election Commission

County Clerks of the Counties of :

Boone

Barry

Camden

Cape Girardeau

Carroll

Callaway

Cass

Franklin

Greene

Johnson

Lafayette

Lawrence

Lincoln

Marion

Taney

Texas

Warren

Webster

                                                                                                Mickey Wilson, CPA

                                                                                                Director

                                                                                                May 14, 2008