BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 44|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 44
Author: Yee (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE ELECTIONS & CONST. AMENDMENTS COMM. : 3-1, 3/19/13
AYES: Correa, Hancock, Yee
NOES: Anderson
NO VOTE RECORDED: Padilla
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE : 9-2, 04/09/13
AYES: Wright, Calderon, Cannella, Correa, De Le�n, Galgiani,
Hernandez, Lieu, Padilla
NOES: Nielsen, Berryhill
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : State Internet Web sites: online voter registration
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires each Internet Web site maintained
by the state to include a hyperlink on the sites homepage to the
online voter registration page of the Internet Web site of the
Secretary of State (SOS).
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides that a person who is
qualified to register to vote and who has a valid California
driver's license or state identification card may submit an
affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet
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Web site of SOS.
Existing federal law, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 has
required all states to implement a single, uniform, centralized,
computerized statewide voter registration list and to define,
maintain, and administer this list at the state level.
This bill requires each Internet Web site maintained by the
state to include a hyperlink on the site's homepage to the
online voter registration page of the Internet Web site of the
SOS.
Background
SB 397 (Yee, Chapter 561, Statutes of 2011), authorized the SOS,
in conjunction with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), to
implement online voter registration prior to the completion of a
new statewide voter registration database, also known as
VoteCal.
The program, developed in coordination with California's 58
county elections officials, the DMV, and SOS went live on
September 19, 2012. Online voter registration is providing
individuals the ability to register to vote through the SOS's
website, and was utilized by nearly 800,000 people between its
unveiling and the November General Election.
As defined by wiseGEEK.org, a hyperlink is a graphic or a piece
of text in an Internet document that can connect readers to
another webpage, or another portion of a document. Web users
will usually find at least one hyperlink on every webpage. The
simplest form of these is called embedded text or an embedded
link. In this instance, a hyperlink will show up as a single
word or group of words that will usually be marked as
underlined, and are frequently blue in color.
According to staff with the SOS, anyone wishing to link to the
Secretary of State's online voter registration website may do so
with a hyperlink to the online voter registration webpage, or
they may use a graphical button which links to that webpage.
The Secretary's Internet Web site provides the HTML code needed
to insert a graphical button for linking to the online voter
registration webpage. The HTML language pulls the graphic image
of a button from the Secretary's website, displays it on the
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webpage, and activates a link when a user clicks on the button.
Prior legislation
AB 1357 (Swanson, Chapter 192, Statutes of 2011), among other
things, requires the SOS in consultation with county elections
officials, to design and make available on his/her Internet Web
site an affidavit of registration.
AB 896 (Portantino), would have allowed a county elections
official to accept voter registration affidavits signed with
digital signatures and transmitted electronically. This bill
failed passage in the Assembly Elections and Redistricting
Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/22/13)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO California Common Cause
California Church Impact
California Nurses Association
California Teachers Association
CALPIRG
League of Women Voters of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, last
year California's online voter registration law became effective
and gave the people of California the ability to register to
vote through the Secretary of State's website. The online
registration option has been utilized by over 1 million people
between its unveiling in September and now - many of which were
registering to vote for the first time. A number of counties
also reported a significantly higher turnout rate for
individuals that registered to vote online in last November's
elections. This much success in a very short amount of time is
strong evidence to show that more people are likely to register
to vote (and potentially participate in elections) if it is made
easier for them to do so. By extending the voter registration
link to every state website, you are ensuring that millions of
people will see the link, many that otherwise may be unaware
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that the online voter registration option exists. This will
promote the system, and provide access to anyone seeking
information or services from the state.
RM:nl 4/23/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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