§ 67-1a-14. Study of signing a petition online -- Report.

(1) As used in this section, "petition" means a petition to:

(a) qualify a ballot proposition for the ballot under Title 20A, Chapter 7, Issues Submitted to the Voters;

(b) organize and register a political party under Title 20A, Chapter 8, Political Party Formation and Procedures; or

(c) qualify a candidate for the ballot under Title 20A, Chapter 9, Candidate Qualifications and Nominating Procedures.

(2) The lieutenant governor, in consultation with a county clerk and municipal clerk, shall study a way that a registered voter may sign a petition on the Internet and receive information about the petition on the Internet.

(3) The study shall evaluate:

(a) how to sign a petition on the Internet using a holographic signature that is in an electronic format maintained by a government agency;

(b) the security, development, ownership, management, format, and content of a secure Internet portal or website on which a registered voter may sign a petition;

(c) the security measures necessary to:

(i) verify the identity of a registered voter who signs a petition on the Internet; and

(ii) insure the integrity of a signature;

(d) changes to the process of collecting, verifying, and certifying a signature, if the signature is collected on the Internet;

(e) whether verification is necessary for signatures collected on the Internet;

(f) which election official should be responsible for the certification of signatures collected on the Internet;

(g) whether signatures on a petition should be public information;

(h) the removal process of a signature collected on the Internet;

(i) what percentage of signatures should be collected on the Internet or in person, statewide or by Senate district;

(j) what information regarding the petition should be available on the secure Internet portal or website, including who may submit the information and by what deadline information should be submitted;

(k) the time the lieutenant governor, county clerk, or municipal clerk may spend certifying a petition if a registered voter is allowed to sign a petition on the Internet;

(l) the processes, if any, that exists in other states to allow a registered voter to sign a petition on the Internet; and

(m) any other issue related to allowing a registered voter to sign a petition on the Internet.

(4) The lieutenant governor shall submit a copy of the study and recommendations, if any, that result from the study to the Government Operations Interim Committee on or before September 18, 2013.

Enacted by Chapter 35, 2012 General Session