BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 113 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 6, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair SB 113 (Jackson) - As Amended: July 1, 2014 Policy Committee: ElectionsVote:5-1 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill lowers the age at which a person may pre-register to vote from 17 to 16, provided the person meets all other eligibility requirements. Consistent with current law regarding 17-year-old pre-registrants, this provision will not be in effect until the new statewide voter registration system (VoteCal) is operational. This bill also: 1)Requires county elections officials to mail to registrants under age 18 a voter preregistration notice, as prescribed, in lieu of sending the voter notification that is sent to registrants over age 18. 2)Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to print and make available to county elections officials, as requested, sufficient copies of the preregistration notice forms. 3)Stipulates the county elections officials are not required to mail residency confirmation postcards to any preregistered person who will be under age 18 as of a primary election date. FISCAL EFFECT Minor annual General Fund net costs, in the range of $50,000, to the extent the availability of pre-registration to 16-year-olds increases overall voter registration among those age 18 to 24 by about 10%. This cost estimate includes sending Voter Pre-registration notices and assumes 60% of preregistration would occur online and the balance on paper, and that some of these preregistrations would have otherwise occurred at age 17, as allowed under current law once VoteCal is operational. SB 113 Page 2 County costs to process additional registrations will be covered through the existing reimbursement formula for this activity. COMMENTS 1)Purpose . The author notes California has one of the nation's lowest voter registration rates, and those age 18-24 register at a far lower rate than any other age group. According to the author, studies indicate the earlier people are introduced to voting, the more likely they are to continue voting throughout their lifetime. The author notes that, while many voter registration opportunities exist in college, only half of all California adults attend college, thus when incorporated into high school classes, preregistration "provides an opportunity to engage a diverse of younger people preparing to become voters." 2)VoteCal Status . As noted above, California's existing pre-registration law for 17 year-olds, as well as the provisions of this bill, will not go into effect until the SOS certifies the VoteCal system is complete. The SOS has been in the process of implementing a new statewide voter registration database for several years, as required by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The SOS estimates VoteCal will be fully implemented by 2016. 3)Other States . According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 10 other states allow 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote (Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia). At least seven other states permit 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote (Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia). NCSL also reports that other states, including Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wyoming, do not establish a specific pre-registration age limit. 4)Related Legislation . In 2013, ACA 7 (Mullin), which would have allowed a person who is 17-years-old and will be 18 at the time of the next general election to register and vote in that election and any intervening primary or special election, was held on this committee's Suspense File. Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 SB 113 Page 3