AN ACT relating to elections.

HB 615 amends Kentucky election laws to standardize the processing of mail-in absentee ballots. It requires county election boards to begin processing these ballots at 8 a.m. on election day (not extending voting hours as incorrectly noted in the abstract), with specific rules for signature verification, envelope handling, and ballot security. The bill mandates that counties provide lists of voters who returned mail-in ballots, allow candidate and media observation during processing, and secure ballot boxes with dual locks held by members of different political parties. These changes directly affect county election boards and county clerks managing mail-in ballot procedures.