BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 714
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 7, 2003

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                              Darrell Steinberg, Chair

                     AB 714 (Leno) - As Amended:  March 26, 2003 

          Policy Committee:                              ElectionsVote:6-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Requires each polling place, by January 1, 2006, to have at  
            least one voting machine that is fully accessible to  
            mobility-impaired individuals and establishes the same  
            deadline for a previously-enacted requirement to provide  
            accessible voting machines for individuals who are blind or  
            visually impaired.  

          2)Provides that compliance with (1) is not required unless  
            sufficient funds are available from state general obligation  
            bonds authorized for voting equipment replacement, from  
            federal funds pursuant to the Help America Vote Act of 2002,  
            or from any other funds except the General Fund.  

          3)Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to adopt rules governing  
            voting systems used in the state that provide access for  
            mobility-impaired individuals equivalent to that provided for  
            those who are not mobility impaired.  

          4)Requires each county to report to the SOS on their progress  
            toward improving access to polling places.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Potential for allocating millions of dollars in state bond funds  
          or federal funds specifically for accessible voting equipment by  
          the January 1, 2006.

           COMMENTS  









                                                                  AB 714
                                                                  Page  2

           1)Purpose  .  According to the author, this bill, which is  
            sponsored by the Secretary of State, will conform state law  
            regarding polling place access to the Help America Vote Act  
            and will promote access and participation for voters with  
            disabilities in elections.  The new federal law requires every  
            polling place to have at least one voting system that provides  
            for independent voting by persons with disabilities, including  
            persons who are blind or visually impaired.  The federal law  
            authorized $4.5 billion to states for voting-related  
            improvements.  To date, California has receive about $180  
            million of the $1.8 billion under the act by Congress.

           2)Prior Legislation  . AB 2525 (Jackson)-Chapter 950, Statutes of  
            2002, required each polling place to have at least one voting  
            machine that is fully accessible to blind and visually  
            impaired voters. 

            AB 56 (Shelley), Chapter 902, Statutes of 2001, authorized  
            $200 million in state general obligation bonds for updating of  
            county voting systems.  AB 56 was approved by the voters on  
            the March 2002 ballot as Proposition 41.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081