BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 450
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 29, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS AND REDISTRICTING
Shirley Weber, Chair
SB
450 (Allen and Hertzberg) - As Amended June 21, 2016
SENATE VOTE: (vote not relevant)
SUBJECT: Elections: vote by mail voting and mail ballot
elections.
SUMMARY: Permits specified counties beginning in 2018, and all
other counties beginning in 2020, to conduct elections in which
every voter is mailed a ballot and vote centers and ballot
drop-off locations are available prior to and on election day,
in lieu of operating polling places for the election, subject to
certain conditions. Permits Los Angeles County, beginning in
2020 and for a period of not more than four years, to conduct
elections in which vote centers and ballot drop-off locations
are available prior to and on election day, in lieu of operating
polling places for the election, subject to certain conditions.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Permits the counties of Calaveras, Inyo, Madera, Napa, Nevada,
Orange, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara,
Shasta, Sierra, Sutter, and Tuolumne, on or after January 1,
2018, and permits all other counties, on or after January 1,
2020, to choose to conduct elections where all voters are
mailed a ballot and where vote centers and ballot drop-off
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locations are available prior to and on election day, in lieu
of operating polling places for the election, subject to the
following conditions:
a) Vote Centers. Requires vote centers to be open, in lieu
of polling places, on election day, and for the 10 days
prior to election day, in accordance with the following:
i) Number of Vote Centers and Dates and Hours of
Operation. Requires the number of vote centers, and the
dates and times that those vote centers are available, to
comply with the following:
(1) Regular Elections. At a regularly scheduled
election, requires vote centers to be open in
accordance with the following:
(a) From the 10th day through the fourth day
prior to the election, requires at least one vote
center for every 50,000 registered voters, with no
fewer than two vote centers, each open for at least
eight hours per day.
(b) From the third day prior to the election
through election day, requires at least one vote
center for every 10,000 registered voters, with no
fewer than two vote centers. Requires each vote
center to be open for at least eight hours per day
on the days prior to election day, and from 7 a.m.
to 8 p.m. on election day. Requires at least 90
percent of the number of required vote centers to be
open for all four days; provides that up to 10
percent of the locations need not be open for all
four days as long as the total number of vote
centers open on each day does not fall below the
required number of locations.
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(c) Requires vote centers to be located in the
jurisdiction where the election is being held.
(2) Special Elections. At a special election,
requires vote centers to be open in accordance with
the following:
(a) From the 10th day through the day prior to
the election, requires at least one vote center for
every 60,000 registered voters, each open for at
least eight hours per day, provided, however, that
in jurisdictions with fewer than 30,000 registered
voters, the elections official is only required to
make a reasonable effort to establish a vote center.
(b) On election day, requires at least one
vote center for every 30,000 registered voters, each
open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., provided, however, that
in jurisdictions with fewer than 30,000 registered
voters, the elections official is only required to
make a reasonable effort to establish a vote center.
(c) Requires vote centers to be located in the
jurisdiction where the election is being held unless
the jurisdiction is not wholly contained within the
county, in which case the elections official is
required to make a reasonable effort to locate at
least one vote center in the jurisdiction.
ii) Location of Vote Centers. Requires vote centers to
be located in accordance with the following requirements:
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(1) Equitably distributed around the county so as
to afford maximally convenient options for voters.
(2) At accessible locations as near as possible to
established public transportation routes.
iii) Voter Experience at a Vote Center. Requires that a
voter be able to do any of the following at a vote
center:
(1) Return, or vote and return, a vote by mail
(VBM) ballot;
(2) Register to vote, or update his or her
registration, and vote, as specified;
(3) Receive and vote a provisional ballot, as
specified;
(4) Receive a replacement ballot upon verification
that a ballot for the same election has not been
received from the voter by the elections official;
and,
(5) Vote a regular, provisional, or replacement
ballot using accessible voting equipment that provides
for a private and independent voting experience.
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iv) Assistance Available at, and Accessibility of, Vote
Centers.
(1) Language Assistance. Requires vote centers to
comply with the following language assistance
requirements:
(a) Assistance is provided in all languages
required in the jurisdiction pursuant to state and
federal law, in a manner that enables voters of
applicable language minority groups to participate
effectively in the electoral process.
(b) Information is posted at each vote center
regarding the availability of language assistance in
English and any other languages required in the
jurisdiction under state and federal law.
(c) If a vote center is in or adjacent to a
precinct, census tract, or other defined
geographical subsection identified in establishing
language requirements under state or federal law, or
identified as needing language assistance through
the public input process established by this bill,
the vote center is staffed by election board members
who speak the required language. If the elections
official is unable to recruit board members who
speak the required language, alternative methods of
effective language assistance are provided.
(d) Translated election materials are provided
in all languages required in that jurisdiction under
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state or federal law.
(2) Accessibility. Requires vote centers to comply
with the following disability accessibility
requirements:
(a) Reasonable modifications and auxiliary
aids and services are provided as required by
federal law, as specified.
(b) Vote centers comply with state and federal
accessibility requirements, as specified.
(c) Each vote center is equipped with no fewer
than three accessible voting units that provide
individuals with disabilities the same opportunity
for access and participation as is provided to
voters who are not disabled, including the ability
to vote privately and independently, as specified.
v) Additional Requirements.
(1) Requires every vote center to have an
electronic mechanism that allows elections officials
to immediately access voter registration data,
including whether each voter has been issued a VBM
ballot and whether a ballot has been received by the
elections official.
(2) Provides that the requirements for eligibility
and composition of precinct boards at polling places
generally apply for election boards at vote centers,
except as otherwise specified.
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b) Vote by Mail Ballots and Ballot Return. Requires
registered voters to be mailed ballots and requires
drop-off locations to be established as follows:
i) Materials and Information Mailed to Voters.
Requires the elections official to mail all of the
following to each registered voter:
(1) A VBM ballot, along with instructions and a
ballot return envelope, beginning the 29th day before
the election.
(2) A notice, translated in all languages required
for the jurisdiction under state and federal law, that
informs voters of all of the following:
(a) An all-mailed ballot election is being
conducted and each eligible voter will be issued a
ballot by mail;
(b) The voter may cast a ballot in person at a
vote center during specified days and times;
(c) The voter may request the elections
official to send a ballot or a copy of a ballot in a
language other than English, if such materials are
required by state or federal law, no later than
seven days before the election; and,
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(d) The voter may request the elections
official to deliver a ballot that voters with
disabilities can mark privately and independently,
as specified, no later than seven days before the
election.
(3) A list of the ballot drop-off locations and
vote centers established pursuant to this bill,
including the dates and hours they are open.
Additionally requires this list to be posted in an
accessible format, as specified, on the Internet Web
site of the county elections official.
(4) A postage-paid postcard that the voter may
return to the county elections official for the
purpose of requesting a ballot in a language other
than English.
ii) Ballot Drop-Off Locations. Provides that a "ballot
drop-off location" consists of a secure, accessible,
locked ballot box located as near as possible to
established public transportation routes to receive voted
ballots. Requires drop-off locations to comply with
specified regulations adopted by the Secretary of State
(SOS). Requires the elections official to provide ballot
drop-off locations that comply with the following:
(1) Number of Drop-Off Locations and Dates and
Hours of Operation. Requires drop-off locations to be
open during regular business hours beginning not less
than 28 days before the election, and on the date of
the election, and requires the number of drop-off
locations to comply with the following:
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(a) Regular Elections. For regularly scheduled
elections:
(i) At least one drop-off location is
provided for every 15,000 registered voters, with
no fewer than two drop-off locations; and,
(ii) At least one drop-off location
includes an accessible, secured, exterior drop
box that is available for a minimum of 12 hours a
day including regular business hours.
(b) Special Elections. For special elections,
at least one drop-off location is provided for every
15,000 registered voters, with at least one drop-off
location located within the jurisdiction where the
special election is held.
iii) Accessibility of VBM Ballots and Written Election
Materials.
(1) Requires that a method be available for a
voter with a disability to request a blank VBM ballot
and, if a replacement ballot is necessary, a blank
replacement ballot, that voters with disabilities can
read and mark privately and independently, as
specified.
(2) Requires the elections official, upon request,
to provide written voting materials in an accessible
format to voters with disabilities, as specified.
c) Election Administration Plan. Requires the elections
official to develop a plan for the administration of
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elections (administration plan) pursuant to this bill.
i) Operational Details.
(1) Requires the elections official, when
developing the administration plan, to consider the
following:
(a) The proximity of vote centers and drop-off
locations to all of the following:
(i) Public transportation;
(ii) Communities with historically low
VBM usage;
(iii) Population centers;
(iv) Language minority communities; and,
(v) Voters with disabilities.
(b) Access to accessible and free parking at
vote centers and drop-off locations.
(c) Distance and time a voter must travel by
car or public transportation to a vote center and
drop-off location.
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(d) Need for alternate methods for voters with
disabilities for whom VBM ballots are not accessible
to cast a ballot.
(e) Traffic patterns near vote centers and
drop-off locations.
(f) Need for mobile vote centers.
(2) Requires the administration plan to include
information on the following, to the extent available
at the time of publication:
(a) The numbers, locations, and operating
hours of vote centers and drop-off locations to be
established, and an indication of whether drop-off
locations are inside or outside.
(b) A map with the location of each vote
center and drop-off location.
(c) Security and contingency plans to be
implemented by the county to do both of the
following:
(i) Prevent a disruption of the vote
center process; and,
(ii) Ensure that the election is properly
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conducted if a disruption occurs.
(d) The number of election board staff
including bilingual board members and languages
spoken.
(e) The services provided for individuals with
disabilities including, but not limited to, the type
and number of accessible voting machines and
reasonable modifications at each vote center.
(f) The design, layout, and placement of
equipment inside each vote center that protects each
voter's right to cast a private and independent
ballot.
ii) Voter Education and Outreach Plan. Requires the
administration plan to include a voter education and
outreach plan (outreach plan) that is subject to all of
the following requirements:
(1) Requires the outreach plan to include
descriptions of the following:
(a) How the elections official will use the
media, including social media, newspapers, radio,
and television, that serve language minority
communities for purposes of informing voters of the
upcoming election and promoting the toll-free voter
assistance hotline.
(b) How the elections official will have a
community presence to educate voters.
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(c) The accessible information that will be
publicly available on the elections official's
website.
(d) The method used by the elections official
to identify language minority voters.
(e) How the elections official will educate
and communicate the provisions of this bill to the
public, including but not limited to:
(i) Communities for which the county is
required to provide voting materials and
assistance in a language other than English under
state and federal law, including a plan for a
bilingual voter education workshop for each such
language; and,
(ii) The disability community including
organizations and individuals that advocate on
behalf of, or provide services to, individuals
with disabilities, including a plan for a voter
education workshop to increase accessibility for
participation of voters with disabilities.
(f) How the county will spend the necessary
resources on voter education and outreach to ensure
that voters are fully informed about the election,
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including information about how the education and
outreach budget compares to recent similar
elections.
(g) A plan for at least one public service
announcement in the media, including newspapers,
radio, and television, that serve English-speaking
citizens for purposes of informing voters of the
upcoming election and promoting the toll-free voter
assistance hotline. Requires this outreach to
include access for voters who are deaf, hard of
hearing, blind, or visually impaired.
(h) A plan for at least one public service
announcement in the media, including newspapers,
radio, and television, that serve
non-English-speaking citizens for each language in
which the county is required to provide voting
materials and assistance, for purposes of informing
voters of the upcoming election and promoting the
toll-free voter assistance hotline.
(i) At least two direct contacts with voters,
in addition to the mailing of the VBM ballot and of
the sample ballot, for the purposes of informing
voters of the upcoming election, and promoting the
toll-free voter assistance hotline.
(2) Requires the county elections official, after
the adoption of the final administration plan, to
submit the outreach plan to the SOS for approval.
(3) Requires the SOS to approve, approve with
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modifications, or reject a voter education and
outreach plan within 14 days after the plan is
submitted by an elections official.
iii) Miscellaneous Elements of the Administration Plan.
Requires the administration plan to include descriptions
of all of the following:
(1) How a voter with disabilities may request and
receive a blank VBM ballot and, if a replacement
ballot is necessary, a blank replacement ballot that
voters with disabilities can mark privately and
independently.
(2) How the elections official will address
significant disparities in voter accessibility and
participation identified in reports required by this
bill.
(3) The methods and standards that the county
elections official will use to ensure the security of
voting conducted at vote centers.
(4) Estimated short- and long-term costs and
savings from conducting elections pursuant to this
bill as compared to recent similar elections.
iv) Process for Adoption of Administration Plan.
(1) Requires a draft plan for the administration
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of vote centers to be developed in consultation with
the public, which includes, but is not limited to,
both of the following:
(a) One meeting, publicly noticed 10 days
prior to the meeting, that includes representatives,
advocates, and other stakeholders representing each
community for which the county is required to
provide voting materials and assistance in a
language other than English under state and federal
law; and,
(b) One meeting, publicly noticed 10 days
prior to the meeting, that includes representatives
from the disability community and community
organizations and individuals that advocate on
behalf of, or provide services to, individuals with
disabilities.
(2) Requires the county elections official to
provide public notice of the draft plan and to accept
public comments on the draft plan for a period of 14
days. Requires the elections official, following the
public comment period, to hold a public meeting,
noticed 10 days in advance, as specified, to consider
the draft plan and public comments.
(3) Requires the elections official to consider
any public comments and permits the official to amend
the draft plan after the consideration of the public
comments. Requires the elections official to publicly
notice the amended draft plan and accept public
comments for a period of 14 days. Permits the
elections official to adopt a final plan following
this 14 day public comment period.
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(4) Requires auxiliary aids and services to be
provided upon request at any public meeting held for
the development of the administration plan in order to
ensure effective communication with people with
disabilities.
(5) Requires the draft plan, amended plan, and
adopted plan to be posted on the county's website in
each language in which the county is required to
provide voting materials and assistance, and on the
county's and the SOS's website in an accessible
format, as specified.
v) Updates and Amendments to the Administration Plan.
(1) Requires the elections official to hold
additional public meetings to consider revising the
plan, subject to the requirements outlined above, not
more than two years after the adoption of the first
plan, and every four years thereafter.
(2) Permits an elections official to amend a plan
for the administration of elections under this bill as
follows:
(a) In the last 120 days before an election
held pursuant to this bill, the plan may be amended
with reasonable public notification; and,
(b) If it is more than 120 days before an
election held pursuant to this bill, the plan may be
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amended with reasonable public notification after a
30 day period during which public comments are
accepted on the amended plan.
d) Additional Requirements.
i) Requires a toll-free voter assistance hotline, which
is accessible to voters who are deaf and hard of hearing,
maintained by the county elections official that is
operational no later than 29 days before the day of the
election until 5 p.m. on the day after the election.
Requires the hotline to provide assistance to voters in
all languages in which the county is required to provide
voting materials and assistance, as specified.
ii) Requires the county elections official to establish
a Language Access Advisory Committee (LAAC), comprised of
representatives of language minority communities, and a
Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC), comprised
of voters with disabilities. Requires the LAAC and the
VAAC to be established no later than October 1 of the
year prior to the first election conducted pursuant to
this bill, and requires the LAAC and the VAAC to hold
their first meetings no later than April 1 of the year in
which the first election is conducted pursuant to this
bill. Permits a county with fewer than 50,000 registered
voters to establish a joint advisory committee for
language minority communities and voters with
disabilities.
iii) Requires the elections official to solicit public
input about which vote centers should be staffed by
election board members who are fluent in a language in
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addition to English.
iv) Requires the county elections official to provide
notice in the sample ballot, in VBM materials, and on the
elections official's Internet Web site of the specific
language services available at each vote center.
v) Requires election day procedures to be conducted as
provided in existing law, except where otherwise
specified.
vi) Permits the county elections official to provide
additional ballot drop-off locations and vote centers
beyond the number required by this bill.
vii) Provides that the return of voted VBM ballots is
subject to provisions of existing law that apply to VBM
ballots.
viii) Requires election results from an election that is
conducted pursuant to this bill to be reported by
precinct.
ix) Requires an elections official who conducts an
election in accordance with the provisions of this bill
to maintain an electronic index of voters who have done
any of the following at a vote center:
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(1) Registered to vote or updated his or her voter
registration;
(2) Received and voted a provisional ballot or
replacement ballot; or,
(3) Voted a ballot using the equipment at a vote
center.
x) Permits a county to conduct a special election as an
all-mailed ballot election under this bill only if the
county has done one of the following:
(1) Previously conducted an election in accordance
with the provisions of this bill; or,
(2) Adopted a final election administration plan,
as specified, and completed all activities provided
for in the county's outreach plan prior to the special
election.
xi) Requires a county elections official that conducts
an election pursuant to this bill to make a reasonable
effort to inform a voter whose VBM ballot is missing a
signature of that fact, and to notify those voters on how
to correct the missing signature.
2)Los Angeles County Alternative. Permits Los Angeles County,
beginning January 1, 2020, to conduct elections subject to the
same conditions that are generally applicable above, with the
following exceptions:
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a) The county is not required to mail a ballot to every
registered voter, but is required to mail ballots to all of
the following voters:
i) Permanent VBM voters;
ii) Precincts with fewer than 500 registered voters;
iii) Voters who reside in jurisdictions adjacent to
counties that are conducting elections pursuant to this
bill; and,
iv) Voters in precincts that are either more than a 30
minute travel time from a vote center, or where the
precinct's traditional polling place from the last
statewide election is more than 15 miles from the nearest
vote center.
b) At a regularly scheduled election, the county
establishes vote centers in accordance with the following:
i) Beginning 10 days before the election and continuing
daily through and including the fourth day before the
election, requires vote centers to be open for at least
eight hours per day, and requires at least one vote
center for every 30,000 registered voters.
ii) Beginning on the third day before the election and
continuing daily through and including election day,
requires at least one vote center for every 7,500
registered voters. Requires each vote center to be open
for at least eight hours per day on the days prior to
election day, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day.
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Requires at least 90 percent of the number of required
vote centers to be open for all four days; provides that
up to 10 percent of the locations need not be open for
all four days as long as the total number of vote centers
open on each day does not fall below the required number
of locations.
c) For regularly scheduled elections, the county
establishes at least one drop-off location for every 15,000
permanent VBM voters, with no fewer than two drop-off
locations, as specified.
d) Requires vote centers to be located within a reasonable
travel time of registered voters.
e) Requires the county to conduct a service area analysis
of its vote center plans to identify service gaps, and
requires the county to report its findings.
f) Provides that the county may conduct elections under
this alternative for no more than four years, and allows
the county to conduct elections as otherwise provided in
this bill after that time.
3)Reporting Requirements. Establishes reporting requirements
for an election that is conducted pursuant to this bill.
a) Requires the SOS to submit a report to the Legislature,
and to post that report in an accessible format on the
SOS's website, within six months after the date of any
election conducted pursuant to this bill, that includes the
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following information by categories of race, ethnicity,
language preference, age, gender, disability, permanent VBM
status, historical polling place voters, political party
preference, and language minorities, as specified, to the
extent possible:
i) Voter turnout;
ii) Voter registration;
iii) Ballot rejection rates, and the reasons for ballot
rejection;
iv) Provisional ballot use;
v) The number of votes cast at each vote center;
vi) The number of ballots returned at drop-off
locations;
vii) The number of ballots returned by mail;
viii) The number of persons who registered to vote at a
vote center;
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ix) Instances of voter fraud; and,
x) Any other problems that became known to counties or
the SOS during the election or the canvass of the
election.
b) Requires a county that conducts an election pursuant to
this bill to do both of the following:
i) To the extent possible, submit information to the
SOS that the SOS needs to prepare the report detailed
above.
ii) Post a report on its official website in an
accessible format, as specified, that compares the costs
of elections conducted pursuant to this bill to the costs
of previous similar elections.
4)Task Force. Requires the SOS to establish a task force, in
existence until January 1, 2022, to review elections conducted
pursuant to this bill, and to provide comments and
recommendations to the Legislature no later than six months
after each election. Requires the task force to include, but
not be limited to, the following:
a) County elections officials;
b) Individuals with demonstrated language accessibility
experience for languages covered under federal law;
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c) Representatives from the disability community and
community organizations and individuals that advocate on
behalf of, or provide services to, individuals with
disabilities; and,
d) Other experts with demonstrated experience in the field
of elections.
5)Requires the SOS to enforce the provisions of this bill, as
specified.
6)Repeals limits on the individuals who a voter may designate to
return his or her VBM ballot, and instead permits a voter to
designate any person to return his or her VBM ballot.
7)Allows a VBM ballot to be returned to any polling place within
the state, instead of being limited to polling places within
the jurisdiction of the elections official who issued the
ballot.
a) Permits a voted VBM ballot to be returned in person to
any member of a precinct board at any polling place or vote
center within the state, instead of being limited to
polling places within the jurisdiction of the elections
official who issued the ballot.
b) Provides that if a VBM ballot is returned to a precinct
board of a polling place, vote center, or ballot drop-off
location that is located in a county other than the county
from which the ballot was issued, the elections official
for the county in which the VBM ballot was returned shall
forward the ballot to the elections official who issued it
no later than eight days after receipt.
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8)Makes technical and corresponding changes.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Allows any voter to receive a VBM ballot for an election.
Allows a voter who wishes to receive a VBM ballot for every
election in which that voter is eligible to vote to become a
permanent VBM voter.
2)Permits, but does not require, elections officials to allow
voters to cast ballots prior to an election at their offices
or satellite locations on weekends or times beyond regular
office hours.
3)Permits a voter who is otherwise qualified to register to vote
to complete a conditional voter registration, as defined, and
to cast a provisional ballot during the 14 days immediately
preceding an election or on election day at the office of the
elections official. Permits the county elections official to
offer conditional voter registration at satellite offices of
the county elections official. Provides that these provisions
do not become operative until January 1 of the year following
the year in which the SOS certifies that the state has a
statewide voter registration database that complies with the
requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
4)Allows local elections held on no more than three different
dates in Monterey, Sacramento, San Mateo, and Yolo counties to
be conducted wholly by mail, as part of a pilot project
lasting through January 1, 2018, subject to certain
conditions.
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5)Permits San Diego County, as part of a pilot program lasting
through January 1, 2021, to conduct a special election to fill
a vacancy in the Legislature or in Congress as an all-mailed
ballot election, subject to certain conditions and reporting
requirements.
6)Requires precinct boundaries to be fixed in a manner so that
the number of voters in the precinct does not exceed 1,000 on
the 88th day prior to the day of election, except as
specified. Requires an elections official, at least 29 days
prior to an election, to designate a polling place for each
precinct, except as specified.
7)Requires a state or a political subdivision of a state to
provide voting materials in the language of a minority group
when that group within the jurisdiction has an illiteracy rate
that is higher than the national illiteracy rate, and the
number of United States citizens of voting age in that single
language group within the jurisdiction meets at least one of
the following tests:
a) Numbers more than 10,000;
b) Makes up more than five percent of all voting age
citizens; or,
c) On an Indian reservation, exceeds five percent of all
reservation residents.
8)Requires the elections official to make reasonable efforts to
recruit elections officials who are fluent in a language if
three percent or more of the voting-age residents in the
precinct are fluent in that language and lack sufficient skill
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in English to vote without assistance.
9)Requires, in counties where the SOS has determined it is
appropriate, each precinct board to post at least one copy of
the ballot with ballot measures and ballot instructions
printed in Spanish. Provides that the ballot shall also be
posted in other languages if a significant and substantial
need is found by the SOS.
10)Provides that in determining whether it is appropriate to
require a county to post a copy of the ballot at a precinct in
a language other than English, the SOS shall find a need to
post such translated copies of the ballot if the number of
residents of voting age in the precinct who are members of a
single language minority and who lack sufficient skills in
English to vote without assistance equals three percent or
more of the voting-age residents.
11)Requires the elections official to undertake necessary
measures when locating polling places to ensure that polling
places meet the guidelines promulgated by the SOS for
accessibility by the physically handicapped.
12)Requires, pursuant to HAVA, that voting systems used in an
election for federal office be accessible for individuals with
disabilities, including nonvisual accessibility for the blind
and visually impaired, in a manner that provides the same
opportunity for access and participation, including privacy
and independence, as for other voters.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
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1)Purpose of the Bill: According to the author:
California saw historically low voter turnout in 2014.
Only 25 percent of all registered California voters
cast a ballot in the June primary and only 42 percent
participated in the November general election. Los
Angeles County - the largest voting jurisdiction in
the country - had the lowest turnout among all of
California's 58 counties. Fewer than 17 percent of
L.A. County voters cast a ballot in the June primary
and only 31 percent voted in November. While voter
turnout was poor across the entire country in 2014,
California ranked an inexcusable 43rd in turnout among
the 50 states and District of Columbia.
Since 1960 turnout of registered voters in California
off-year general elections has steadily decreased from
a high of 79 percent in 1966 to a previous low of 50.5
percent in 2002. Turnout for off-year primary
elections since 1960 has also steadily decreased from
a high of almost 69 percent in 1978 - when Proposition
13 appeared on the ballot - to a previous low of 33
percent in 2010.
SB 450 is modeled on the very successful way Colorado
conducts its elections wherein every voter
automatically receives a vote by mail ballot who may
then return that ballot by mail or in person at
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numerous drop-off locations and innovative vote
centers. In lieu of traditional neighborhood polling
places, these vote centers are placed in convenient
locations all over town and open several days prior to
each election. Furthermore, voters can use any vote
center or drop-off location in their home county -
they are not limited to using the one closest to their
residence.
At the vote centers, voters can register to vote, cast
a vote, or get a new ballot if they lost or damaged
their mail ballot. They are also equipped with
accessible voting machines for disabled voters and
electronic poll books that interact with the official
voter database.
Fully implemented for the 2014 elections, this hybrid
system resulted in Colorado achieving one of the
highest voter turnouts in the nation. SB 450 will
replicate this system in California on a county by
county, opt-in basis beginning in 2018.
The language of SB 450 was painstakingly developed
with the input of the Secretary of State, county
elections officials, and numerous advocates
representing all facets of California's very diverse
electorate. This effort is evident in the
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unprecedented lengths to which the bill goes toward
accommodating non-English proficient voters and voters
with accessibility needs as well as requiring
extensive community involvement and voter education.
A majority of our voters are already casting ballots
by mail. During the November, 2014 General Election
over 60 percent of all voters statewide used a vote by
mail ballot. Use of mail ballots in local and special
elections is even higher. Furthermore, a recent poll
conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California
found that 70 percent of California adults favor
sending every registered voter a vote by mail ballot.
SB 450 offers the best opportunity to significantly
increase voter participation while also saving
participating counties money over the current system.
2)Colorado Model of Elections: As noted in the author's
statement above, the provisions of this bill are modeled after
the way that Colorado conducts its elections. The essence of
Colorado's elections system is that voters may choose to vote
at home using a ballot that is mailed to them, or may visit
any of the several vote centers within their home county on
election day, or on the days leading up to election day,
including weekends. The key elements of Colorado's system are
as follows:
a) Every registered voter is mailed a ballot.
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b) Voters may mail the voted ballot back to elections
officials, or may return it in person to the elections
official's office, a vote center, or a designated drop-off
location.
c) Instead of traditional neighborhood polling places,
Colorado provides vote centers which are open 8 to 14 days
prior to election day, depending on the type of election.
Vote centers provide all of the following services:
i) Voter registration through election day;
ii) Voting;
iii) Provisional voting for anyone who lost their ballot,
or who otherwise needs a replacement ballot; and,
iv) Accessible voting machines for disabled voters.
d) In counties with at least 10,000 voters, one vote center
is provided for every 30,000 voters during early voting,
with a minimum of one vote center, and one vote center is
provided for every 15,000 voters on election day, with a
minimum of three vote centers. In counties with fewer than
10,000 voters, at least one vote center is provided during
early voting, and at least one vote center is provided on
election day.
e) In counties with at least 25,000 voters, at least one
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stand-alone drop-off location is provided for every 30,000
voters.
Colorado's election system came about through a series of
changes over time. Larimer County in Colorado piloted the
first use of vote centers in 2003, and in 2004, Colorado's SB
153 established the legal framework permitting the use of vote
centers for conducting an election. By the 2006 statewide
election, 19 Colorado counties were using election day vote
centers.
In 2002, Colorado adopted a no-excuse, permanent absentee
voting system under which any voter could sign-up to receive
an absentee ballot (referred to as VBM ballots in California)
at any election. By 2008, 50 percent of Colorado voters were
signed-up as permanent absentee voters, and in 2009, the
Colorado Legislature passed a bill allowing counties to
conduct primary elections as all-mail ballot elections. As a
result, in 2010, more than two-thirds of Colorado counties
conducted the statewide primary election as an all-mail ballot
election.
In 2013, the Colorado Legislature adopted and the Governor
signed HB 1303, which established the framework under which
Colorado's elections are now conducted. HB 1303, among other
provisions, authorized voter registration to continue through
election day, required that every registered voter be mailed a
ballot no later than 22 days before each election, and
required county clerks to establish vote centers, as outlined
above. Although the changes made by HB 1303 were significant,
many Colorado counties and many Colorado voters already had
experienced elections conducted using vote centers, and had
experienced elections in which every voter was mailed a
ballot, as detailed above.
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While the provisions of this bill are modeled after Colorado
law, California's unique challenges will necessitate policies
that differ from the Colorado model in some respects. For
example, under the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA), certain
jurisdictions in Colorado are required to provide elections
materials and assistance in Spanish, but Colorado counties
generally are not required to provide assistance in other
languages. By contrast, Los Angeles County is required to
provide language assistance in nine languages other than
English. (Los Angeles also offers bilingual poll worker
assistance in another seven languages.) Many other California
counties also are required to provide assistance in languages
other than English and Spanish. When elections are conducted
using polling places, bilingual poll workers can be directed
to those areas that have higher residential concentrations of
voters who require assistance in a particular language. But
in an election system where voters have the option of voting
at any vote center countywide, and aren't tied to a specific
voting location, it can be more challenging to determine where
best to place bilingual election workers.
Other challenges that California likely will face in moving to
an election system similar to Colorado's include the state's
size (both in terms of population and geography), and the fact
that fewer voters and elections officials have familiarity
with vote centers and elections in which all voters are mailed
a ballot. Overcoming these challenges may require more robust
voter education and outreach, and may require other
adjustments to the Colorado model. This bill contains many
adjustments to the Colorado model in an attempt to address
this state's unique challenges.
3)Vote Centers vs. Polling Places: Vote centers are polling
locations at which any registered voter in a county can cast a
regular (i.e., non-provisional) ballot, regardless of the
voter's precinct. Voters do not need to vote at polling
places near their homes, but can vote at any of the vote
centers throughout the county.
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Vote centers provide greater flexibility to voters in deciding
where and when to cast their ballots. The trade-off is that
there are considerably fewer physical voting locations in
elections using vote centers than in elections using
neighborhood polling places. For example, Orange County had
1,135 polling places for the November 2014 general election.
By contrast, if Orange County chose to conduct a statewide
election pursuant to SB 450, it would be required to have 140
vote centers open on election day and each of the three days
prior to the election (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), and 28
vote centers open each day between the 10th day (Saturday) and
the 4th day (the following Friday) before the election. (The
county would also be required to have 94 ballot drop-off
locations for the 28 days before the election.) This
reduction in the number of physical voting locations could
increase the distance that some voters have to travel in order
to cast a ballot in person.
On the other hand, because vote centers would be open for the 10
days prior to election day (including two full weekends), the
number of days and hours during which in-person voting is
available would increase significantly. Additionally, with
vote centers, a voter could have the flexibility to vote near
his or her work, or near his or her child's school, if that
was a more convenient option. Because of the reduced number
of physical voting locations, elections officials would also
have greater flexibility to locate vote centers near
established public transportation routes and in areas with
sufficient parking. (In fact, this bill would require
elections officials to take those factors into consideration
when deciding where to locate vote centers.)
4)Technical Requirements for Vote Centers: Because voters have
the option of casting a ballot at any vote center in the
county, vote centers need to have a system that can provide
any eligible voter in the county with the appropriate ballot.
While smaller counties that have fewer ballot styles may be
able to accommodate that need using pre-printed paper ballots,
vote centers in larger jurisdictions likely will feature
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electronic voting systems that are pre-loaded with all the
ballot types in the county, or ballot-on-demand printers that
can produce the appropriate paper ballots as needed.
Additionally, in order to verify the registration of voters,
determine the correct ballot type for each voter, and ensure
that a voter has not already cast a ballot, vote centers must
have a mechanism to verify voter registration information. In
most jurisdictions, this requirement is likely to be met
through the use of electronic poll books that can communicate
with the voter registration database in real-time.
5)VoteCal: On October 29, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
HAVA. Enacted partially in response to the 2000 Presidential
election, HAVA was designed to improve the administration of
federal elections. Among other provisions, HAVA requires
every state to implement a single, uniform, official,
centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter
registration list defined, maintained, and administered at the
state level. This statewide voter registration list will serve
as the official list of eligible voters for any federal
election held within the state.
At the time HAVA was approved, California was already using a
statewide voter registration system, known as Calvoter, which
achieved some of the goals of the voter registration list
required by HAVA. However, Calvoter did not satisfy many of
the requirements in that law, including requirements that the
database be fully interactive and have the capability of
storing a complete voter registration history for every voter.
Discussions between the United States Department of Justice
and the SOS led to the adoption of a memorandum of agreement
(MOA) between the two parties. In that MOA, the SOS committed
to further upgrades to the Calvoter system to achieve
short-term interim compliance with the requirements of HAVA,
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and to complete development and implementation of a
longer-term solution for replacing the Calvoter system with a
new permanent statewide voter registration system. That new
permanent system is commonly known as VoteCal.
After a number of delays, the VoteCal system has been developed
and rolled out to all 58 counties. Although every California
county now has access to the VoteCal system, it will not
become the official system of record for voter registration
information in California until the system is certified by the
SOS. That certification is expected to happen later this
summer.
6)Conditional Voter Registration (a.k.a. "Election Day"
Registration): AB 1436 (Feuer), Chapter 497, Statutes of 2012,
permits "conditional voter registration," under which a person
is allowed to register to vote and vote at the office of the
county elections official at any time, including on election
day, if certain requirements are met. AB 1436 does not,
however, require conditional voter registration to be
available at polling places. Conditional voter registration
will go into effect on January 1 of the year following the
date that the SOS certifies the operation of VoteCal. Under
conditional voter registration, voters will cast provisional
ballots which will be counted only if the elections official
is able to determine the person's eligibility to vote, as
specified.
One of the conditions of this bill would require that
conditional voter registration be available at every vote
center. Because counties would not be allowed to operate vote
centers pursuant to this bill until 2018, and because VoteCal
is scheduled to be fully implemented this summer, the state
law providing for conditional voter registration is expected
to be in effect before any elections are conducted under the
provisions of this bill.
7)San Mateo Pilot Project: As noted above, existing law allows
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four counties to conduct certain local elections as mailed
ballot elections, subject to certain conditions, as part of a
pilot project lasting through January 1, 2018. San Mateo
County conducted its first election under that pilot project
last November, and submitted its required report on that
election to the Legislature last month.
While the pilot project in which San Mateo is participating is
described as an all-mailed ballot pilot project, the actual
election that was conducted in San Mateo last November shares
some similarities with the manner in which elections would be
conducted under this bill. While all registered voters were
mailed a ballot, the county also opened 32 "universal polling
places," which functioned similar to vote centers, on election
day, and had two vote centers and 20 ballot drop-off locations
available for 28 days prior to the election. (By contrast,
had the election been a regularly scheduled election conducted
pursuant to the terms of this bill, San Mateo County would
have been required to have 36 vote centers open on election
day and for the three days prior to election day, eight vote
centers open from the 10th day before the election through the
fourth day before the election, and 24 ballot drop-off
locations available for 28 days prior to the election.) San
Mateo County also conducted an extensive voter education and
outreach campaign, similar to that which would be required by
this bill, and sent between three and six pieces of mail to
every registered voter to educate voters about the election,
similar to this bill's requirement that elections officials
make at least two direct contacts with voters, in addition to
the mailing of the VBM ballot and of the sample ballot, for
the purposes of informing voters of the election. On the
other hand, San Mateo County also prepaid the return postage
on VBM ballots-something that is not required by this bill.
The report to the Legislature regarding San Mateo County's
election found that turnout in the pilot election was slightly
higher than in the two most recent similar elections in the
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county (elections held in November 2011 and November 2013).
In addition, turnout was higher than in the two most recent
similar elections among all age groups and political party
preferences, for both men and women, for voters who were not
signed up as permanent VBM voters, and among whites, Asian
Americans, and Latinos. Among African American voters and
permanent VBM voters, turnout was higher than in the 2013
election, but lower than the 2011 election. While the report
noted that previous research suggested that increased
convenience and mobilization by the office of the elections
official could have contributed to the observed changes in
turnout, it also cautioned that "the degree to which these
increases in turnout can be attributed to each of these
factors is uncertain, however, as the pilot did not include an
experimental component."
8)Early Adopters: Of the 14 counties that would have the option
of adopting the provisions of this bill beginning in 2018,
three of the counties have more than 500,000 registered voters
based on the SOS's most recent report of registration (Orange,
Santa Clara, and Sacramento); two of the counties have more
than 100,000, but fewer than 500,000 registered voters (San
Mateo and San Luis Obispo); four of the counties have more
than 50,000, but fewer than 100,000 registered voters (Shasta,
Napa, Nevada, and Madera); and five of the counties have fewer
than 50,000 registered voters (Sutter, Tuolumne, Calaveras,
Inyo, and Sierra).
The following table details the 14 counties that would have the
option of adopting the provisions of this bill beginning in
2018, and the number of vote centers and drop-off locations
that each county would be required to operate, based on
current registration figures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|County |Registered| Polling | Vote | Vote | Drop-off |
| | Voters* |Places at | Centers, | Centers, |Locations |
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| | | 11/2014 | E-10 to | E-3 | |
| | |Election**| E-4 | through | |
| | | | | Election | |
| | | | | Day | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Orange |1,395,380 | 1135 | 28 | 140 | 94 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Santa | 788,063 | 697 | 16 | 79 | 53 |
|Clara | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Sacramento| 715,975 | 528 | 15 | 72 | 48 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|San Mateo | 367,155 | 211 | 8 | 37 | 25 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|San Luis | 155,801 | 145 | 4 | 16 | 11 |
|Obispo | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Shasta | 96,310 | 79 | 2 | 10 | 7 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Napa | 72,461 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Nevada | 66,149 | 39 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
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| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Madera | 54,017 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Sutter | 42,351 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Tuolumne | 29,472 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Calaveras | 27,532 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Inyo | 9,697 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|Sierra | 2,217 | 0*** | 2 | 2 |2 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*As of 5/23/2016, per Secretary of State's Report of
Registration.
**According to information provided by the counties to the
United States Election Assistance Commission as part of the
2014 Election Administration and Voting Survey.
***Due to the fact that none of Sierra County's precincts have
more than 250 registered voters, all of its precincts were
designated as mailed-ballot precincts for the November 2014
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election. As a result, it did not have polling places for
that election.
9)Los Angeles Option: This bill includes an option for
conducting elections that is only available to Los Angeles
County. While that option is similar to the election model
offered to other counties under the bill, the "Los Angeles
option" generally requires a larger number of vote centers
than are otherwise required, but does not require the county
to mail a ballot to every registered voter. This option is
designed, in part, in recognition of the fact that voters in
Los Angeles County use VBM ballots at much lower rates than in
other counties in the state. Furthermore, the county's large
population would create significant logistical challenges if
the county were required to begin mailing VBM ballots to
millions of additional registered voters in a short period of
time. This bill, however, would require Los Angeles County to
transition to the election model that is applicable to all
other counties after four years of conducting elections under
the "Los Angeles option."
The following table details the number of vote centers and
drop-off locations that Los Angeles County would be required
to operate under each of these two systems, based on current
registration numbers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Voting |Registered| Polling | Vote | Vote | Drop-off |
|Model | Voters* |Places at | Centers, | Centers, |Locations |
| | | 11/2014 | E-10 to | E-3 | |
| | |Election**| E-4 | through | |
| | | | | Election | |
| | | | | Day | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|"Los |4,909,904 | 2,849 | 164 | 655 | 102*** |
|Angeles | | | | | |
|Option" | | | | | |
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| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|General |4,909,904 | 2,849 | 99 | 491 | 328 |
|SB 450 | | | | | |
|Option | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*As of 5/23/2016, per Secretary of State's Report of
Registration.
**According to information provided by Los Angeles County to
the United States Election Assistance Commission as part of
the 2014 Election Administration and Voting Survey.
***Based on 1,525,569 permanent VBM voters as of 5/1/2016,
according to information from the website of the Los Angeles
County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
10)Arguments in Support: The sponsor of this bill, Secretary of
State Alex Padilla, writes in support:
California's current election system feeds the lack of
confidence that keeps many eligible voters away from
our democracy. In a September 2015 Public Policy
Institute of California survey the #3 reason
registered voters cited for not voting was a lack of
confidence in elections. The top reason unregistered
voters do not register and vote was lack of confidence
in elections and politics.
SB 450 would allow counties to adopt tested and proven
policies that increase voter participation.
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Specifically, the bill would, beginning January 1,
2018, allow specified counties to send every
registered voter a ballot 28 days before Election Day,
provide in-person early voting 10 days before Election
Day, widely deploy Same Day Voter Registration and
establish vote centers across the county which can be
used by every voter.
The State of Colorado adopted these policies statewide
in 2014 and California's San Mateo County piloted
these policies for their 2015 local elections. Both
Colorado and San Mateo saw an increase in voter
participation and a reduction in the use of
provisional ballots. In 2014, Colorado had the 3rd
highest turnout in the nation; while California was
43rd. San Mateo had the highest turnout, among all
demographics in 20 years.
The Colorado and San Mateo experiences demonstrate
research conducted by the California Institute of
Technology, New York University and the Brennan Center
for Justice on the effects these policies have on
turnout and voter experience. California Institute of
Technology and New York University concluded that
widely available Same Day Voter Registration would
increase turnout in California by an average of 4.8%
with bigger gains among young people, Latinos and new
citizens. The Brennan Center found that early voting
can result in shorter lines on Election Day, improved
poll worker performance, early correction of
registration or voting errors, and increased voter
satisfaction.
Also in support of this bill, Consumer Watchdog writes:
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SB 450 would enact several key reforms that have
proven to increase participation, improve election
administration, and save money.
The bill would allow California counties, beginning in
2018, to begin conducting elections in a new way. A
similar system used in Colorado has already proven to
increase turnout while reducing administrative costs.
It would reduce barriers for voters, including:
Extended period to vote: Every registered voter will
receive a ballot a month before Election Day and can
start voting a month before. Voters may mail their
ballot back, drop it at a voter drop-box or at any
vote center in their county;
Weekend voting: Every voter can vote inperson at least
10 days before Election Day, which includes 2
weekends;
More convenient voting locations: Voters can use any
vote center in their county to cast a ballot. Many of
these vote centers will be in more convenient
locations, for example near a voter's workplace or
school;
Greater language access: Every vote center will
provide translated materials and assistance in the
languages protected by the federal Voting Rights Act;
Greater disabled access: Every vote center will have
accessible voting machines to assist voters with
physical impairments to vote on their own, and any
voter can request an accessible ballot, including
ballots necessary for the visually impaired;
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Same Day Voter Registration: Every vote center will
have to provide sameday voter registration which
allows citizens to register to vote or update their
registration information until the close of the polls
on Election Day;
Direct public participation: The public will have an
unprecedented voice in how elections are run,
including formal consultation on the location and
number of vote centers and ballot drop boxes.
11)Concerns Raised: While not taking an official position on
the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union of California,
Advancement Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice -
California, California Calls, California Foundation for
Independent Living Centers, California Voter Foundation,
Disability Rights California, and PICO California sent a joint
letter of concerns. The letter suggests the following
amendments to address the concerns those organizations have
identified:
Participating counties must provide return envelopes
with prepaid postage.
When approving vote-by-mail pilot programs that
authorize a county to mail all voters ballots in lieu
of providing accessible neighborhood polling sites,
the Legislature has consistently recognized that
all-mail ballot programs must be conditioned on the
provision of prepaid postage on ballot return
envelopes?
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The Legislature has acknowledged that lack of postage
can be a barrier to participation for low income
persons, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
The San Mateo County vote-by-mail pilot, tested for
the first time in November 2015, confirmed the
importance of prepaid postage to ensuring voter
participation?. Expansion of the S.B. 450 vote-by-mail
model to other counties should occur in 2022, not in
2020?
[B]efore opening up to the entire state, the S.B. 450
vote-by-mail model should be implemented and tested
for a presidential primary and election by the limited
number of counties initially authorized to
participate. This will give the initial counties the
opportunity to develop and test best practices, will
give the S.B. 450 task force the opportunity to
meaningfully evaluate and compare the impact of both
the vote-by-mail model and the Los Angeles County vote
center model in a presidential election year, and will
afford the Legislature the time needed to enact any
legislative changes necessary to ensure the best model
and practices are in place to serve California voters'
and election officials' beyond 2020.
In the absence of ballots mailed to all voters, the
proposed Los Angeles County vote center model should
provide 1) one vote center for every 5,000 voters from
E-3 to Election Day, and 2) a lower threshold for when
a ballot must be mailed to a voter who does not have
ready access to a vote center.
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1) In the absence of mailed ballots, Los Angeles
County must provide more vote centers than the 1 per
7,500 vote center ratio that S.B. 450 currently
proposes?.
Los Angeles County has pointed to Travis County as a
jurisdiction for comparison since vote centers are
used in a manner similar to what Los Angeles County
proposes. However, while Travis County does not mail
all voters a ballot, it provides far more vote centers
per person than what S.B. 450 proposes for Los Angeles
County. For example, in 2012, Travis County had 207
vote centers for 635,300 registered voters, a ratio of
one vote center per 3,069 registered voters. Two years
later, in 2014, Travis County had 186 vote centers for
652,463 registered voters, a ratio of one vote center
per 3,585 registered voters. Thus, under the most
recent version of S.B. 450, Los Angeles County would
have one vote center for more than twice as many
voters, presenting challenges both in terms of the
distance and means of getting to a vote center and in
terms of predicting the sheer volume of voters and
wait times to be managed at vote centers when voters
have not been mailed a ballot to offset in-person
turnout?.
2) Ballots should be mailed to all voters who are more
than 10 minutes from a vote center, as determined by
travel time from their home to a vote center via
public transportation, and to any voter who lives more
than five miles from a vote center.
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12)Arguments in Opposition: In opposition to this bill, the
Election Integrity Project writes:
By allowing "convenience" and indiscriminant use of
the vote by mail ballot, California law already
significantly increases the threat to election
integrity by opening the door to many forms of ballot
harvesting. Currently, roughly 50% of California
voters either choose to or have been forced into
voting with a mail ballot. However, the other half of
Californians are exercising their right of choice to
vote in person, and do so wisely because of the
increased risk to the integrity of a vote by mail
ballot, regardless of how it is submitted. SB 450
would remove all choice from the citizens of
California without their consent by allowing the
county bureaucracy to choose an all-mail ballot format
for elections. Citizens should not be subjected to
such a choice without their consent.
13)Related Legislation: AB 1921 (Gonzalez), which is pending on
the Senate Floor, permits a VBM voter to who is unable to
return his or her ballot to designate any person to return the
ballot, as specified. AB 1921 was approved by this committee
on a 5-2 vote, and was approved by the Assembly on a 46-29
vote.
14)Previous Legislation: SB 439 (Allen), Chapter 734, Statutes
of 2015, allows elections officials to offer conditional voter
registration at satellite offices on days other than election
day, and requires the SOS to adopt and publish standards for
electronic poll books and ballot on demand printers, as
specified.
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AB 3024 (Wolk) of 2006, would have authorized Solano County to
conduct a pilot project whereby the county elections official
would establish vote centers in lieu of polling places in each
precinct. AB 3024 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. In
his veto message, the Governor stated that "[w]hile the vote
center system may offer some advantages over the current
precinct-based voting system, the proposed pilot project would
reduce the number of voting locations by 80 percent, and
thereby significantly increase the distance that voters would
have to travel in order to vote. This burden would fall
disproportionately on those who are less mobile, frequently
the poor, disabled, and elderly."
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Secretary of State Alex Padilla (sponsor)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO (prior version)
California Association of Clerks and Election Officials
California Association of Nonprofits (prior version)
California Common Cause
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (if
amended) (prior version)
California League of Conservation Voters
California Nurses Association (prior version)
California State Association of Counties (prior version)
California Transit Association (prior version)
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CALPIRG
City Clerks Association of California (prior version)
Consumer Watchdog
Courage Campaign (prior version)
Equality California (prior version)
League of California Cities (in concept) (prior version)
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
NARAL Pro-Choice California (prior version)
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors (prior version)
Sierra Club California
Urban Counties of California
Opposition
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Election Integrity Project
One Individual (prior version)
Analysis Prepared by:Ethan Jones / E. & R. / (916)
319-2094