GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2013

H                                                                                                                                                   D

HOUSE DRH10081-LB-13A  (11/15)

Short Title:        Ballot Reform Act of 2013.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representatives Jones, Martin, Conrad, and Steinburg (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to eliminate straight-party ticket voting and to provide fairness in placement of PARTIES on the ballot.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 163-165.6(e) reads as rewritten:

"(e)       No Straight-Party Voting. - Each official ballot shall not contain any place that allows a voter with one mark to vote for the candidates of a party for more than one office. be arranged so that the voter may cast one vote for a party's nominees for all offices except President and Vice President. A vote for President and Vice President shall be cast separately from a straight-party vote. The official ballot shall be prepared so that a voter may cast a straight-party vote, but then make an exception to that straight-party vote by voting for a candidate not nominated by that party or by voting for fewer than all the candidates nominated by that party. Instructions for general election ballots shall clearly advise voters of the rules in this subsection and of the statutes providing for the counting of ballots."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 163-182.1(a)(7) is repealed.

SECTION 3.  G.S. 163-165.6(d) reads as rewritten:

"(d)      Order of Party Candidates on General Election Official Ballot. - Candidates in any ballot item on a general election official ballot shall appear in the following order:

(1)        Nominees of political parties that reflect at least five percent (5%) of statewide voter registration, according to the most recent statistical report published by the State Board of Elections, beginning with the party that the Governor was elected as the nominee of, then for other parties in alphabetical order by party and in alphabetical order within the party. In the case of a multi-seat race, the names of the candidates of that party shall appear in alphabetical order by party beginning with the letter of the alphabet that the Governor's last name begins with, then returning to the letter A after the letter Z.

(2)        Nominees of other political parties, in alphabetical order by party and in alphabetical order within the party. In the case of a multi-seat race, the names of the candidates of that party shall appear in alphabetical order by party beginning with the letter of the alphabet that the Governor's last name begins with, then returning to the letter A after the letter Z.

(3)        Unaffiliated candidates, in alphabetical order. order, beginning with the letter of the alphabet that the Governor's last name begins with, then returning to the letter A after the letter Z."

SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective with respect to elections conducted on or after January 1, 2014.