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SPONSOR: |
|
DATE TYPED: |
3/11/03 |
HB |
HJR 1/aHVEC |
||
SHORT TITLE: |
Runoff Elections, CA |
SB |
|
||||
|
ANALYST: |
Chavez |
|||||
APPROPRIATION
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
||
FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
|
|
|
|
|
30.0( FY 05) |
Non-Recurring |
General
Fund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Secretary of State (SOS)
Attorney General’s Office (AGO)
LFC Files
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of HVEC Amendment
The House Voters and Election Amendment provides
for municipal runoff elections as follows:
a)
a municipality that has not
adopted a home-rule charter may provide by ordinance for runoff elections; b) a
municipality that has adopted a home-rule charter and prior to
the adoption of this amendment the charter provided for runoff elections, shall
hold runoff elections pursuant to the charter; or c) a municipality that adopts
or has adopted a homerule charter may subsequent to the adoption
of this amendment, provide for runoff elections as provided in its charter.
The Amendment further provides that the legislature
may provide by law for runoff elections for all elections other than municipal,
primary or statewide elections.
The amendment clarifies the original bill.
Synopsis
of Original Bill
House Joint Resolution
1 proposes an amendment to Article VII, Section V of the Constitution of New
Mexico to allow municipal runoff elections.
The resolution provides for the following: a) a home rule municipality
with over 20,000 residents could seek approval from its populace to amend their
existing home rule charter to allow for runoff elections; (b) a municipality
with over 20,000 residents that becomes a home rule municipality could include
runoff elections in its initial charter; and (c) the legislature could pass a
law to allow other municipalities the right to conduct runoff elections.
Significant
Issues
The resolution is written in a confusing manner
that may result in the voters’ lack of understanding and may furthermore result
in their rejection of this proposed amendment.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
No appropriation is contained in this bill. However, a $30.0 non-recurring impact to the
general fund will likely occur in FY 05 (the next general election is in
November 04) for advertising and printing costs incurred by the Secretary of
State for this ballot measure. The
impact to the general fund will occur in the preceding fiscal year if a special
election is called prior to November 04.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
The LFC, in conjunction with the Attorney
General’s Office, provides the following comments: