BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 113
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          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 113 (Jackson)
          As Amended  August 19, 2014
          Majority vote

           SENATE VOTE  :   24-8
           
           ELECTIONS           5-1         APPROPRIATIONS      12-4        
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Fong, Bonta, Hall, Perea, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra,         |
          |     |Rodriguez                 |     |Bradford,                 |
          |     |                          |     |Ian Calderon, Campos,     |
          |     |                          |     |Eggman, Gomez, Holden,    |
          |     |                          |     |Pan, Quirk,               |
          |     |                          |     |Ridley-Thomas, Weber      |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |Nays:|Donnelly                  |Nays:|Bigelow, Donnelly, Jones, |
          |     |                          |     |Wagner                    |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 

           SUMMARY  :  Expands pre-registration by authorizing a 16-year-old  
          to pre-register to vote once pre-registration is in effect,  
          provided he or she meets all other eligibility requirements, as  
          specified.  Specifically,  this bill  :   

          1)Lowers the minimum age for submitting an affidavit of  
            registration for purposes of pre-registering to vote from 17  
            to 16 years of age.

          2)Requires a county elections official, in lieu of sending a  
            voter notification card required by current law, to send a  
            voter pre-registration notice to a person under 18 years of  
            age who submits an affidavit of registration in accordance  
            with existing law or the provisions of this bill, upon the  
            determination that the affidavit of registration is properly  
            executed and that the person otherwise satisfies all  
            eligibility requirements to vote, except that he or she is  
            under 18 years of age.  Requires the county elections official  
            to send the voter pre-registration notice by nonforwardable,  
            first-class mail, address correction requested. 

          3)Creates a pre-registration voter notification card and  
            requires the card to be sent to a person under 18 years of age  








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            who submits an affidavit of registration in accordance with  
            existing law or the provisions of this bill.  Requires the  
            pre-registration voter notification card to be in the  
            following form:

                                 VOTER NOTIFICATION

               Thank you for registering to vote.  You may vote in any  
               election held on or after your 18th birthday.  

               Your party preference is:  (Name of political party) 

               Before any election in which you are eligible to vote, you  
               will receive a sample ballot and a voter pamphlet by mail. 

               If information on this card is incorrect, please contact  
               our office or update your registration at the Internet Web  
               site of the Secretary of State (SOS).  

          4)Provides that a county elections official is not required to  
            mail a residency confirmation postcard pursuant to existing  
            law to any person under 18 years of age who has submitted a  
            properly executed affidavit of registration pursuant to the  
            provisions of this bill and who will not be 18 years of age on  
            or before the primary election. 

          5)Makes other corresponding changes. 

          6)Provides that the provisions of this bill shall become  
            operative only if the Secretary of State certifies that the  
            state has a statewide voter registration database that  
            complies with the requirements of the federal Help America  
            Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).

          7)Contains double-jointing language to avoid chaptering problems  
            with AB 2562 (Fong) of the current legislative session.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, 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  
          pre-registration would occur online and the balance on paper,  
          and that some of these pre-registrations would have otherwise  








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          occurred at age 17, as allowed under current law once VoteCal is  
          operational. 

          County costs to process additional registrations will be covered  
          through the existing reimbursement formula for this activity.

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, "California has one of the  
          lowest voter registration rates in the nation, and youth aged  
          18-24 years old stand out as the group that is registering at a  
          far lower rate than any other age group.

          "Even in the presidential election year of 2012, while nearly  
          80% of Californians were registered to vote, only 62% of  
          18-to-24-year-olds were registered.  Studies have shown that the  
          earlier people are introduced to voting, the more likely they  
          are to become life-long participants in democracy. 

          "SB 113 would not change the voting age, which is 18.  But it  
          would allow youth to pre-register to vote either online, by  
          mail, or at the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles], beginning at  
          age 16.  Assuming they meet all eligibility requirements, once  
          they turn 18, their registration would become active?"

          The SOS has been in the process of implementing a new statewide  
          voter registration database for several years, as required by  
          HAVA.  After difficulties with the prior vendor and the  
          termination of that contract, the SOS recently announced the  
          selection of a new contractor to develop the new VoteCal  
          statewide voter registration database.  The Department of  
          General Services approved the contract on March 6, 2013.  The  
          SOS estimates that VoteCal will be fully implemented by 2016.   
          California's existing pre-registration law and the provisions of  
          this bill will not go into effect until the SOS certifies that  
          the VoteCal system is complete

          AB 30 (Price), Chapter 364, Statutes of 2009, allows a person  
          who is 17 years of age to pre-register to vote, provided he or  
          she would otherwise meet all eligibility requirements.  AB 30  
          will not go into effect until the SOS certifies that the state  
          has a statewide voter registration database that complies with  
          HAVA.

          Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion  
          of this bill.









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           Analysis Prepared by  :    Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916)  
          319-2094                                          


                                                                FN: 0004953