HB 5147
Requiring full text of proposed Constitutional amendments be included on official ballots
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House of Delegates
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill requires that the full text of proposed constitutional amendments be included on official ballots in West Virginia. Currently, only a title and summary are typically provided. The bill mandates that voters have access to the complete text of each proposed amendment to make informed decisions. This change ensures greater transparency and allows voters to fully understand the proposed changes to the state constitution.
Key provisions
- Requires the full text of proposed constitutional amendments to be included on official ballots.
- Specifies that the full text of the amendment, as it appears in the joint resolution, must be displayed on the ballot.
- Directs ballot commissioners to include the title, summary, and full text of each amendment.
- Establishes a procedure for numbering amendments on the ballot when numbers are not designated by the Legislature.
- Outlines the process for the Secretary of State to certify the ballot with titles and summaries if the Legislature fails to provide them.
- Defines the format for presenting the amendment information on the ballot label.
- Clarifies that elections for constitutional amendments will be conducted in the same manner as regular elections.
- Requires ballots to reflect any strike-throughs and underscores from the original joint resolution.
Who is affected
- West Virginia Voters
- The West Virginia Legislature
- Ballot Commissioners
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