Reps. SELLERS and Clemmons propose the following Amendment No. 2 to H. 4945 (COUNCIL\GGS\22351ZW12):

Reference is to Printer's Date 3/28/2012-H.

Amend the bill, as and if amended, by adding appropriately number SECTIONS at the end to read:

/      SECTION      1.      Section 7-13-35 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

     "Section 7-13-35.      (A)      The authority charged by law with conducting an election must publish two notices of general, municipal, special, and primary elections held in the county in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or municipality, as appropriate. Included in each notice must be a reminder of the last day persons may register to be eligible to vote in the election for which notice is given, notification of the date, time, and location of the hearing on ballots challenged in the election, a list of the precincts involved in the election, the location of the polling places in each of the precincts, and notification that the process of examining the return-addressed envelopes containing absentee ballots may begin at 2:00 p.m.9:00 a.m. on election day at a place designated in the notice by the authority charged with conducting the election. The first notice must appear not later than sixty days before the election and the second notice must appear not later than two weeks after the first notice.
     (B)      In the event the election is postponed, the election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the originally scheduled election day."

SECTION      2.      Section 7-13-40 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

     "Section 7-13-40.       In the event that a party nominates candidates by party primary, a party primary must be held by the party and conducted by the State Election Commission and the respective county election commissions on the second Tuesday in June of each general election year, and a second and third primary each two weeks successively thereafter, if necessary. Written certification of the names of all candidates to be placed on primary ballots must be made by the political party chairman, vice chairman, or secretary to the State Election Commission or the county election commission, whichever is responsible under law for preparing the ballot, not later than twelve o'clock noon on April ninth, or if April ninthApril fifth, or if April fifth falls on a Saturday or Sunday, not later than twelve o'clock noon on the following Monday. Political parties nominating candidates by party primary must verify the qualifications of those candidates prior to certification to the appropriate election commission of the names of candidates to be placed on primary ballots. The written verification required by this section must contain a statement that each candidate certified meets, or will meet by the time of the general election, or as otherwise required by law, the qualifications for office for which he has filed. Political parties must not accept the filing of any candidate who does not or will not by the time of the general election, or as otherwise required by law, meet the qualifications for the office for which the candidate desires to file, and such candidate's name shall not be placed on a primary ballot. The filing fees for all candidates filing to run in all primaries, except municipal primaries, must be transmitted by the respective political parties to the State Election Commission and placed by the executive director of the commission in a special account designated for use in conducting primary elections and must be used for that purpose. The filing fee for each office is one percent of the total salary for the term of that office or one hundred dollars, whichever amount is greater."

SECTION      3.      Section 7-13-190 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

     "(F)      In the event the Governor declares a state of emergency covering an entire jurisdiction holding an election, the election shall be postponed and held on the following Tuesday. This subsection does not apply to statewide primaries and general elections, unless the state of emergency declaration covers the entire State."

SECTION      4.      Section 7-13-350(B) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

     "(B)      Candidates for President and Vice President must be certified not later than twelve o'clock noon on September tenththe first Tuesday following the first Monday in September to the State Election Commission, or if September tenth falls on Sunday, not later than twelve o'clock noon on the following Monday."      /

Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.