BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2219 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 2219 (Fong) - As Introduced: February 20, 2014 Policy Committee: ElectionsVote:7-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill allows county elections officials to cease verifying signatures on a petition once the Secretary of State (SOS) has determined, based on status reports on signature verification received from the elections officials, that an initiative or referendum has qualified for the ballot. FISCAL EFFECT Ongoing savings to counties, from reduced workload associated with discontinued signature verification, and minor absorbable costs to the SOS. COMMENTS 1)Background . Once the requisite number of signatures has been collected for an initiative or referendum, they must be filed with the appropriate county elections officials, who must determine the total number of signatures and report to the SOS. If the raw count of signatures submitted equals 100% or more of the total needed to qualify the measure, the SOS notifies the county elections official to verify the signatures using a random sample verification technique. If the result of the random sample indicates the number of valid signatures represents between 95% and 110% of the required total, the SOS is required to direct the county elections official to verify every signature on the petition. 2)Purpose . This bill, sponsored by the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials, intends to makes the signature verification process more efficient and transparent. Specifically, this bill requires the elections official, when AB 2219 Page 2 conducting a full check of all signatures filed, to submit one or more reports to the SOS showing the number of signatures of qualified voters that have been verified as of that date. Additionally, this bill requires the SOS to maintain a list indicating the number of verified signatures of qualified voters who have signed the petition. If the SOS determines that the measure has qualified prior to each county completing the examination of each signature filed, then counties are able to stop the verification of signatures. Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081