HB 2191: Elections; notary public restrictions; log requirements; exceptions; penalties; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill version changed from House Floor to Senate Floor, updating formatting and committee attribution details. The substantive legislative content remains identical, with no changes to the actual law, penalties, or procedures.

TECHNICAL

Header changed from 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES' to 'SENATE FLOOR VERSION' with updated date formatting.

Bill designation changed from 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL'.

Committee report attribution changed from 'COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT' to 'COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY' with updated date.

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was revised from a House Committee Substitute version to the House Floor version, adding coauthors from the Senate and updating formatting. The substantive policy content regarding notary public restrictions on absentee ballots remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Added coauthors Bergstrom of the Senate to the bill sponsorship list.

Updated header text to indicate this is the House Floor version rather than just Committee Substitute.

Reformatted page headers and footers with new version identifiers (HB2191 HFLR) and page numbering.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from an Engrossed version to a Proposed Policy Committee Substitute version, primarily changing the title and formatting while retaining the core policy content. The substantive policy provisions regarding notary public restrictions on absentee ballots remain unchanged, with no modifications to the actual legal requirements, penalties, or effective date.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the amendment is primarily procedural and formatting-related.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL NO. 2191' to 'PROPOSED POLICY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 2191'

Added committee amendment header information including sponsor name, date, and reading clerk signature lines

Updated page headers from 'ENGROSSED H. B. NO. 2191' to 'Req. No. 12466'

Changed the bill description line from 'clarifying certain log requirements' to 'clarifying certain log requirements; providing exceptions'

Introduced → Engrossed · 8 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Oklahoma's notary public regulations regarding absentee ballot notarization, adding stricter restrictions on who can request or receive ballots, requiring detailed logging of notarizations, and increasing penalties for violations. The changes aim to prevent fraud while allowing notaries to serve more voters under certain conditions.

Scope change

The bill expands restrictions on notary public activities related to absentee ballots and clarifies when notaries can notarize more than twenty ballots at a single election.

ELIGIBILITY

Notaries and their agents are now prohibited from requesting or receiving absentee ballots on behalf of anyone other than themselves or their household members.

REQUIREMENT

Notaries must maintain logs of all absentee ballot affidavits for at least two years, including voter names, dates, times, and identification methods.

Notaries authorized to notarize more than twenty ballots at a single election must submit logs to the county election board secretary within five business days after the election.

Notaries can notarize more than twenty ballots with written approval from the county election board secretary, or without limitation at their place of business during normal hours.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for notary violations now include revocation of appointment for eight years and a misdemeanor fine of up to $500 for willful violations.

County election boards must notify district attorneys and the Secretary of State Election Board if more than ten absentee ballots are mailed to a single address, triggering criminal investigations.

EXCEPTIONS

Notification requirements for multiple ballots to one address do not apply to nursing homes, veterans centers, medical facilities, multiunit housing, or military installations.

TIMELINE

The act becomes effective November 1, 2025.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten from a Proposed Policy Committee Substitute to a House Committee Substitute version, resulting in significant substantive changes to Oklahoma's notary public regulations regarding absentee ballots. The new version clarifies restrictions on who can request and receive absentee ballots, establishes stricter log-keeping requirements for notaries, and adds new enforcement mechanisms including criminal penalties and notification requirements for suspicious ballot patterns.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include more detailed operational requirements for notary publics and added new provisions for monitoring and investigating potential election fraud involving absentee ballots.

REQUIREMENT

Notary public log requirements were modified to require logs to be maintained for at least two years and submitted to county election board secretaries within five business days after elections, with specific details about voter name, date, time, and identification method.

New notification requirements were added for when more than ten absentee ballots are requested to be mailed to a single address, requiring immediate notification to district attorneys and the Secretary of State Election Board for investigation.

ENFORCEMENT

New criminal penalties were added, including misdemeanor charges with fines up to $500 for willful violations and revocation of notary appointments for up to eight years for unauthorized notarization of more than twenty absentee ballots.

ELIGIBILITY

Restrictions on who can request and receive absentee ballots were clarified to prohibit notaries from assisting voters other than themselves, their household members, or themselves in requesting or receiving ballots by mail.

EXCEPTIONS

New exceptions were added to the notification requirements for absentee ballots sent to nursing homes, veterans centers, medical facilities, multiunit housing, and military installations, as well as other locations authorized in writing by the Secretary of State Election Board.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from February 10, 2025 to November 1, 2025, providing more time for implementation of the new requirements.

Elections; notary public restrictions; log requirements; exceptions; penalties; effective date.

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