BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1417
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1417 (Elections and Redistricting Committee)
As Amended September 3, 2013
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |75-0 |(May 9, 2013) |SENATE: |39-0 |(September 9, |
| | | | | |2013) |
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Original Committee Reference: E. & R.
SUMMARY : Makes various minor and technical changes to the
Elections Code. Specifically, this bill :
1)Updates and replaces the term "special absentee voter" with
"military and overseas voter."
2)Conforms state law to federal law by requiring elections
officials to send ballots and ballot materials to all military
and overseas voters by the 45th day before the election if
they have made a request for a ballot by that day, regardless
of whether the 45th day before the election is a weekend or
holiday.
3)Requires the Secretary of State (SOS), not less than 73 days,
and not more than 90 days before a general election, to notify
each candidate for partisan and voter nominated office of the
names, addresses, offices, ballot designations, and party
preferences of all other persons whose names are to appear on
the ballot for the same office at the general election.
4)Repeals a requirement that county elections officials prepare
and post a list of names of candidates for delegates for each
political party prior to each presidential primary.
5)Repeals a limitation that the SOS, for the purpose of
assistance in examining a voting system, may employ not more
than three expert electronic technicians at a cost to be set
by the SOS, and instead specifies that the SOS may employ
expert electronic technicians or technician firms.
The Senate amendments :
1)Delete provisions of existing law that specify that military
AB 1417
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or overseas voter's failure to comply with size and weight
requirements for ballots and ballot envelopes shall not
invalidate the ballot.
2)Delete provisions of existing law that specify that
notarization is not required for overseas and military
ballots.
3)Add double-jointing language to avoid chaptering problems with
SB 360 (Padilla) of the current legislative session.
4)Make other technical changes.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS : This is one of the Assembly Elections and
Redistricting Committee's omnibus bills, containing various
minor and technical changes to provisions of the Elections Code.
All of the provisions of this bill are either changes requested
by the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials
or the SOS, or technical changes identified and suggested by
committee staff.
The Senate amendments delete provisions of existing law that
specify that a military or overseas voter's failure to comply
with size and weight requirements for ballots and ballot
envelopes shall not invalidate the ballot, delete provisions of
existing law that specify that notarization is not required for
overseas and military ballots, and make technical changes. Last
year, the Legislature approved and Governor Brown signed AB 1805
(Huffman), Chapter 744, Statutes of 2012, which established new
voting procedures for military and overseas voters, including
provisions, such as those stated above, that are part of a model
law that was written in a way that it could be applicable in
other states that have these requirements. Unlike those states,
however, California law does not require a military or overseas
ballot to comply with size and weight requirements or be
notarized. In order to eliminate confusion, the Senate
amendments delete those provisions. This bill, as amended in
the Senate, is consistent with the Assembly actions.
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
AB 1417
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Analysis Prepared by : Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916)
319-2094
FN: 0002415