BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 365
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Date of Hearing: July 8, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
SB 365
(Pavley) - As Amended May 4, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill:
1)Authorizes county elections officials to establish vote by
SB 365
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mail (VBM) ballot drop-off locations, as specified.
2)Requires the Secretary of State (SOS), by January 1, 2017, to
promulgate regulations establishing best practices for
security measures and procedures that a county elections
official may use if establishing one or more VBM ballot
drop-off locations.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Minor one-time General Fund costs (around $55,000) for the SOS
to promulgate the regulations.
COMMENTS:
1)Background. While existing law does not specifically address
VBM ballot drop-off locations, in practice, an unknown number
of counties currently establish VBM drop-off sites. For
example, Sacramento County designates facilities throughout
the county where voters can drop-off their voted VBM ballot
prior to election day. The county requires that all facilities
be accessible to voters with disabilities and have at least
one person monitor the station. Sites include city halls,
county departments, assisted living facilities, local
businesses, non-profit and community organizations, and
facilities that already serve as polling places on election
day. A list of the VBM drop-off sites is included in
Sacramento County's sample ballot booklets.
2)Purpose. According to the author, "Presently, there is an
ambiguity in current law around additional drop-off locations
that may be creating a potential barrier to counties seeking
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to expand this service. For example, in the November 2014
election, Los Angeles County, which has a population of more
than 10 million people and is over 4,700 square miles in size,
had one drop-off location?"
"SB 365 will clarify that additional drop off locations are
valid methods of delivering VBM ballots to the elections
official. In addition, the measure ensures the safety of these
drop-off locations by directing the Secretary of State to
establish suggested best practices for counties that choose to
implement VBM drop-off locations."
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916)
319-2081