BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 1970


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          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING


          AB  
          1970 (Low)


          As Introduced  February 16, 2016


          Majority vote


           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |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           |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 


          SUMMARY:  Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to promulgate  
          regulations to establish guidelines for county elections  








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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  








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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