BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 361
Author: Padilla (D)
Amended: 5/16/13
Vote: 21
SENATE ELECTIONS & CONST. AMEND. COMM. : 4-1, 4/30/13
AYES: Correa, Hancock, Padilla, Yee
NOES: Anderson
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-2, 5/23/13
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NOES: Walters, Gaines
SUBJECT : Elections: voter registration
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill places additional requirements on the
Secretary of State (SOS) to provide the capability for a voter
to check the status of the voter's registration, find the
location of the voter's polling place, check the status of a
vote by mail ballot, and check the status of a voter's
provisional ballot on the SOS's Internet Web site, as specified.
ANALYSIS : Existing law specifies various duties of the SOS
with regard to the electoral process.
This bill:
1. Places additional requirements on the SOS to provide the
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capability for a voter to check the status of the voter's
registration, find the location of the voter's polling place,
check the status of a vote by mail ballot, and check the
status of a voter's provisional ballot on the SOS's Internet
Web site, as specified.
2. Becomes operative when the SOS certifies that the state has a
statewide voter registration database (VoteCal) that complies
with the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of
2002 (HAVA).
Background
In addition to allowing an individual to register to vote
online, the SOS' Web site also provides individuals with a
hyperlink to a page of alphabetically listed counties with
either a phone number, county hyperlink or both that would allow
them to check their voter registration status.
Currently, most California counties also provide additional
links on their Web sites for individuals to check their voter
registration status, lookup their polling place, download their
sample ballot or check the status of their vote by mail ballot.
Prior Legislation
SB 35 (Padilla, Chapter 505, Statutes of 2012), among other
things, added the California Health Benefit Exchange to the list
of public assistance agencies required by the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) to provide voter registration
opportunities and codified various other provisions of the NVRA.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
The SOS anticipates costs of $362,000 for modifications to
VoteCal to allow an interstate data exchange, and $91,000 to
allow VoteCal to accept data from NVRA agencies (HAVA Trust).
Unknown potentially significant costs to local agencies,
reimbursable by mandate (General).
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The costs associated with the modifications to VoteCal that will
allow the SOS share data with other states include $271,000 for
data integration from other states including both electronic and
manual inputs; and $91,000 for programming the ability to export
data in both electronic and paper formats. Making the required
modifications to VoteCal to enable the SOS to receive voter
registration data directly from agencies designated in the NVRA
would cost an additional $91,000. While these costs may be able
to be paid from federal HAVA funds that the state has received,
those funds are limited and upon their depletion ongoing
maintenance costs to VoteCal will be paid from the state's
General Fund (GF). To the extent HAVA funds are used for
purposes not originally identified, the GF pressure will occur
sooner rather than later.
There are 609 NVRA designated agencies that will have to forward
address change information to the SOS. Costs to agencies to
comply with this provision are unknown and will be dependent on
the existing database functions and capabilities within each
agency. Any costs to upgrade or to hire additional personnel
years to accommodate this new requirement will be reimbursable
from the GF.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/23/13)
CALPIRG
Common Cause
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
PowerPAC
Rock the Vote
SEIU, California State Council
RM:nk 5/23/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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