H958 - Election Law Changes. (Ratified)

• Clarify that a county board of elections may suspend or remove precinct officials at any time, including throughout the day of a primary or election, authorize a county board to prohibit a precinct official from serving in any subsequent election, specify training requirements for precinct officials, and require county boards to appoint at least four emergency election‑day assistants. (Section 1.1)
• Authorize a nonpartisan candidate to designate one registered voter to serve as an observer at each voting place where the candidate would appear on the ballot for a municipal election, special district election, or local board of education election. (Section 1.2)
• Require the primary for any municipal nonpartisan primary and election and the first election for any municipal nonpartisan election and runoff to be held on the second Tuesday after Labor Day of the odd‑numbered year, with the election or runoff, if needed, to be held in November of that odd‑numbered year. (Section 1.3)
• Require a candidate filing in a party primary to be affiliated with that political party for at least 365 days as of the date of filing rather than 90 days, unless a waiver is granted by the State executive committee of that political party or the political party has been recognized by the State for less than two years. (Section 1.4)
• Clarify that counties, cities, and local boards of education must use only the most recent federal decennial census data when establishing or revising electoral district boundaries. (Section 1.5)

House Bill 958 was ratified on August 6, 2026, but was vetoed by the Governor and is not current law.  If the General Assembly overrides the veto, Part I of House Bill 958 would become effective on January 1, 2027.