BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1970
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1970 (Low)
As Introduced February 16, 2016
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Elections |6-1 |Weber, Harper, |Travis Allen |
| | |Gordon, Low, Mullin, | |
| | |Nazarian | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-6 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Bigelow, Chang, |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, |Gallagher, Jones, |
| | |Calderon, Daly, |Obernolte, Wagner |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to promulgate
regulations to establish guidelines for county elections
AB 1970
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officials relating to the processing of vote by mail (VBM) and
provisional ballots.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor one-time General Fund cost (around $50,000) for
the SOS to promulgate the regulations.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "Increasingly each year,
more California voters are choosing to cast their vote with a
[VBM] ballot?As county election officials see an increase in the
number of VBM ballots returned to their office during an
election, so has the number of ballots returned that are left
uncounted. ?The California Voter Foundation did a partial study,
analyzing uncounted ballot data in three counties, Sacramento,
Santa Cruz, and Orange. ? The study found that while most
ballots were counted, of the nearly 30,000 VBM ballots cast that
were not counted, across the three counties on average: ballots
arriving late comprised of 61% of uncounted ballots; ballots
lacking a signature accounted for 20%, and, ballots with
signatures that did not adequately compare to the signature on
file accounted for 18%. Further in Orange County, just six
percent of uncounted VBM ballots were due to a signature
mismatch; 34% in Sacramento County; and 15% in Santa Cruz
County.
"One reason for the difference in the number of mismatched
signatures across counties could be attributed to the lack of
guidelines or uniform standards for workers who are comparing
signatures on a ballot envelope to a signature on file? AB 1970
will require the [SOS] to draft regulations establishing
guidelines for county elections relating to the processing of
[VBM] ballots. ?By providing elections officials with a proper
AB 1970
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and uniform set of guidelines, there will be decreased number in
uncounted VBM ballots and an increased opportunity for citizens
to make their vote count."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
on this bill.
Analysis Prepared by:
Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094 FN:
0002740