SB177 — clarify the requirements for marking an optical scan ballot.
What changed between bill versions as it moved through the Legislature.
The amendment fundamentally **weakens and redirects** the bill by changing it from a requirement that voters use black ink pens to a clarification that voters *may* use pencils or other marking instruments, while only requiring election officials to *provide* black ink pens to in-person voters and *instruct* absentee voters to use them—and explicitly prohibiting election officials from disqualifying ballots marked with other instruments.
The amendment strengthens ballot security by requiring election officials to provide black ink pens specifically (rather than allowing any pencil or marking instrument) and mandating they instruct absentee voters to use black ink pens, while prohibiting disqualification of ballots marked with other instruments. This shifts the bill from permissive language about voter choice of marking tools to a more prescriptive standard that standardizes ballot marking while maintaining ballot validity.