Montana Code 13-1-203. Secretary of state to advise, assist, and train
13-1-203. Secretary of state to advise, assist, and train. (1) The secretary of state shall advise and assist election administrators, including administrators of school elections under Title 20, chapter 20, with regard to:
Terms Used In Montana Code 13-1-203
- Election: means a general, special, or primary election held pursuant to the requirements of state law, regardless of the time or purpose. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- Election administrator: means , except as provided in subsection (14)(b), the county clerk and recorder or the individual designated by a county governing body to be responsible for all election administration duties, except that with regard to school elections not administered by the county, the term means the school district clerk. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- system: means any machine, device, technology, or equipment used to automatically record, tabulate, or process the vote of an elector cast on a paper ballot. See Montana Code 13-1-101
(a)the application, operation, and interpretation of Title 13, except for chapter 35, 36, or 37;
(b)the implementation and operation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, Public Law 103-31, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq., the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 52 U.S.C 10101, et seq., the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, 52 U.S.C. § 20101, et seq., and the Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252; and
(c)the procedures adopted pursuant to 13-17-211.
(2)The secretary of state shall prepare and distribute training materials for election judges to be trained pursuant to 13-4-203. Sufficient copies of the materials to supply all election judges in the county and to provide a small extra supply must be sent to each election administrator.
(3)(a) The secretary of state shall hold at least one training session every 2 years to instruct election administrators and their staffs on how to conduct and administer primary and general elections. The training must also include instruction on the use of the statewide voter registration system. The training may be held in various locations around the state. The training must also be offered online and through teleconferencing.
(b)Costs of the biennial training, including the materials, must be paid by the secretary of state.
(4)In addition to completing the biennial training under subsection (3), each election administrator shall complete 6 hours of election-related continuing education each year that is approved by the secretary of state. Costs for the continuing education must be paid by the counties.
(5)The secretary of state shall:
(a)certify for election administration purposes each election administrator who attends the biennial training and completes the required continuing education; and
(b)provide a certificate of completion to election staff who attend the biennial election training described in subsection (3).
(6)An election administrator may require that election staff complete the continuing education described in subsection (4) and provide a certificate of completion to staff who complete it.