BILL NUMBER:  AB 2959
  VETOED	DATE: 08/01/2008




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2959 without my signature.

Existing law allows any voter to request a recount of an election,
but protects against abuse by requiring the requesting party to pay a
refundable deposit to cover the cost of the recount.  This bill
would require an elections official to provide the requesting party a
daily, itemized estimate of the costs of the recount.

This bill imposes an unnecessary mandate on elections officials.
Recounts are requested in a scant few elections and the proponents
have failed to demonstrate any abuse on the part of elections
officials estimating recount costs.  Further, the bill potentially
imposes a reimbursable state mandate of unknown costs.

For these reasons, I am returning the bill without my signature.

Sincerely,


Arnold Schwarzenegger