BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
ELECTIONS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Senator Ben Allen, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2265 Hearing Date: 6/8/16
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|Author: |Mark Stone |
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|Version: |2/18/16 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |No |
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|Consultant:|Frances Tibon Estoista |
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Subject: County ballot measures: impartial analysis.
DIGEST
This bill authorizes the county counsel or district attorney to
prepare a summary of the impartial analysis of a county ballot
measure in a format that answers the questions "What does a yes
vote mean?" and "What does a no vote mean?"
ANALYSIS
Existing law:
1) Requires the county elections official, when a county measure
qualifies for the ballot, to transmit a copy of the measure
to the county auditor and to the county counsel or to the
district attorney in a county that does not have a county
counsel.
2) Provides that the county counsel or the district attorney
shall prepare an impartial analysis of the measure showing
the effect of the measure on the existing law and the
operation of the measure.
a) Requires the analysis to include a statement
indicating whether the measure was placed on the ballot
by a petition signed by the requisite number of voters,
or by the board of supervisors.
b) Requires the analysis to be printed preceding the
arguments for and against the measure.
AB 2265 (Mark Stone) Page 2
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c) Provides that the analysis may not exceed 500 words
in length.
3) Requires the elections official, if the entire text of a
county ballot measure is not printed on the ballot, or in the
voter information portion of the sample ballot, to inform
voters of alternative ways to access the text of the measure.
4) Provides that not later than 88 days prior to an election
that includes a county ballot measure, the board of
supervisors may direct the county auditor to review the
measure and determine whether the substance thereof, if
adopted, would affect the revenues or expenditures of the
county. Requires the auditor, if so directed, to prepare a
fiscal impact statement which estimates the amount of any
increase or decrease in revenues or costs to the county if
the proposed measure is adopted and limits the fiscal impact
statement to 500 words or less.
AB 2265 (Mark Stone) Page 3
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This bill:
1) Authorizes the county counsel or district attorney to
prepare a summary of the impartial analysis of a county
ballot measure in a format that answers the questions "What
does a yes vote mean?" and "What does a no vote mean?"
2) Provides that the summary for each question limited to 75
words or less.
3) Provides that any summary prepared pursuant to this
provision may be included in the voter information portion of
the sample ballot.
4) Makes clarifying changes.
BACKGROUND
Existing law requires the state voter information guide contain
a section, located near the front of the pamphlet that provides
a concise summary of the general meaning and effect of "yes" and
"no" votes on each statewide ballot measure. For these state
measures, summary statements are prepared solely by the
Legislative Analyst and are not intended to provide
comprehensive information on each measure.
COMMENTS
1) According to the author : California voters are often faced
with local ballot initiatives that are intended to cover a
range of local municipal issues. As voters are seeing these
initiatives it is important that those voters are provided
with clear, unbiased information about what they are voting
on. AB 2265 makes it clear that county counsels are
authorized to provide an analysis which answers the questions
"What does a yes vote mean?" and "What does a no vote mean?"
for the measure. This analysis could not be longer than
seventy-five words for each question.
Providing this information will not only ensure that voters
have the correct information, but that they have it in the
most useful and practical form.
AB 2265 (Mark Stone) Page 4
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RELATED/PRIOR LEGISLATION
AB 809 (Obernolte, Chapter 337, Statutes of 2015), requires the
ballot , if a proposed local initiative imposes a tax or raises
the rate of a tax, to include in the statement of the ordinance
to be voted on the amount of money to be raised annually and the
rate of the tax to be levied.
AB 354 (Dahle, Chapter 265, Statutes of 2013), requires the
analysis of a local ballot measure that appears in the ballot
pamphlet to include a statement indicating whether the measure
was placed on the ballot by a petition signed by the requisite
number of voters or by the local governing body.
AB 2265 (Mark Stone) Page 5
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PRIOR ACTION
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|Assembly Floor: |79 - 0 |
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|Assembly Elections and Redistricting | 7 - 0 |
|Committee: | |
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POSITIONS
Sponsor: Author
Support: California Association of Clerks and Election
Officials
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Oppose: None received
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