Amended in Assembly April 2, 2013

Amended in Assembly March 4, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 214

Introduced by Assembly Member Skinner

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Brown, Stone, and Ting)

January 31, 2013

An act to add Section 19104 to the Elections Code, relating to voting.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 214, as amended, Skinner. Voting: state of emergency.

Existing law designates the Secretary of State as the chief elections officer of the state and requires him or her to study and adopt regulations governing the use of voting machines, voting devices, vote tabulating devices, and ballot marking systems.

This bill would require the Secretary of State, by December 31, 2014, to establish begin insert , in consultation with county elections officials, end insert procedures and begin delete publish end delete guidelines for voting in the event of a natural disaster or other state of emergency. begin insert The bill would require the Secretary of State to publish those procedures and guidelines on his or her Internet Web site. end insert The bill would also require the Secretary of State to report to the Legislature, by December 31, 2014, on the readiness of the state to hold elections during or following a natural disaster or other state of emergency, as specified.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 19104 is added to the Elections Code, to
read:

19104.  

(a) The Secretary of State shall do both of the following
by December 31, 2014:

(1)  begin delete Establish end delete begin insert In consultation with county elections officials,
establish end insert procedures and begin delete publish end delete guidelines for voting in the event
of a natural disaster or other state of emergency. begin insert The Secretary of
State shall publish the procedures and guidelines on his or her
Internet Web site. end insert

(2) Submit a report to the Legislature on the readiness of the
state to hold elections during or following a natural disaster or
other state of emergency.

(b) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is inoperative on December 31,
2018, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795
of the Government Code.