BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 306|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 306
Author: Fuller (R)
Amended: 4/13/09 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SEN. ELECTIONS, REAP. & CONST. AMEND. COMM. : 5-0, 6/16/09
AYES: Hancock, Walters, DeSaulnier, Liu, Strickland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 6/29/09
AYES: Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Leno, Oropeza, Price, Runner,
Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Denham, Hancock
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 79-0, 5/4/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Elections: voter pamphlets
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Secretary of State (SOS)
to establish a process where a voter can opt out of
receiving the state ballot pamphlet by mail and provides
that the process not apply where two or more registered
voters have the same postal address unless each voter has
opted out. This bill also requires the SOS to establish a
procedure to allow a voter who has opted out to begin
receiving the state ballot pamphlet by mail again. The
provisions of this bill become effective only when the SOS
certifies that the state has a statewide voter registration
database that complies with the federal Help America Vote
CONTINUED
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Act of 2002.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires the SOS to make the
complete state ballot pamphlet available to voters over the
Internet. Existing law requires the SOS to mail one copy
of the ballot pamphlet to each registered voter at the
postal address stated on the voter's affidavit of
registration, except that the SOS may mail only one ballot
pamphlet to two or more registered voters have the same
postal address.
This bill requires the SOS to establish a process whereby
voters can opt out of receiving the state ballot by mail.
Specifically, this bill:
1.Requires that, in order for the mailing of a ballot
pamphlet to cease, all registered voters who share a
common address must opt out of receiving a mailed ballot.
2.Requires the SOS to include a process for voters to
resume receiving a mailed ballot pamphlet if they change
their mind.
3.Makes all of the above effective only after the SOS
certifies that the state has a statewide voter
registration database compliant with the federal Help
America Vote Act of 2002.
Background
The SOS is required to prepare the state ballot pamphlet
and mail copies of the ballot pamphlet to registered
voters. The State's costs for printing and mailing state
ballot pamphlets for the November 2008 election were about
$10.4 million. According to the most recent data
available, each voter pamphlet costs $0.71 to print and
mail, and about 12 million are printed for each election.
So for every 100,000 voters that opt out of receiving the
pamphlet, the state would save approximately $70,000
annually. It should also be noted that in the November
2006 election, a larger voter pamphlet resulted in higher
General Fund costs totaling $17.4 million.
Prior Legislation
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In 2007, a substantially similar bill, AB 1046 (Leno)
passed the Assembly Elections Committee unanimously, but
was subsequently amended to address an unrelated issue.
SB 1070 (Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee),
Chapter 133, Statutes of 2008, allows the SOS to send only
one ballot pamphlet to a household where two or more
registered voters have the same postal address. Prior to
the enactment of SB 1070, the SOS had to send one ballot
pamphlet to each voter in a household with two or more
registered voters unless the voters had the same surname.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the SOS
could realize substantial savings in printing and mailing
costs of ballot pamphlets. The current cost of each
pamphlet is approximately $0.71, and about 12 million are
printed for each election. For example, if only five
percent of registered voters choose not to receive a
printed ballot in the mail, savings by the Secretary of
State could exceed $400,000 per statewide election. The
costs of notifying registered voters of this option will be
minor and will likely consist of a notice on the SOS web
site. Other requirements such as developing the "opt out"
process will be incorporated into the new statewide voter
database which is currently under development.
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/09)
Secretary of State
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
this bill will allow voters to opt out of receiving the
state voter pamphlet by mail from the SOS, as this document
is already available on the SOS's web site. Individuals
are now given the option of accessing documents as vital as
billing statements online rather than via mail.
Additionally, voters that are not located at their primary
mailing address in the weeks prior to an election, such as
those traveling abroad or military personnel, will not be
able to utilize the mailed voter pamphlet.
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,
Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huffman
DLW:cm 7/1/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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