BILL NUMBER: SB 970 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 25, 2010
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 29, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 14, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 10, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 18, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 11, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Senator Corbett
(Coauthor: Senator Hancock)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Fong, Mendoza, Saldana, and Swanson)
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
An act to add and repeal Article 6 (commencing with Section 12290)
to Chapter 3 of Division 12 of the Elections Code, relating to
elections.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 970, Corbett. Vote by mail voting.
Existing law generally requires voters who wish to vote and who do
not cast their ballots by mail to cast their ballot at the precinct
polling place on election day.
This bill would permit, until December 31, 2016, the Secretary of
State, in conjunction with the county elections officials, the
University of California, the California State University, and the
California Community Colleges, to select 3 college campuses, one each
within the University of California, the California State
University, and the California Community Colleges, to serve as vote
by mail ballot dropoff locations for any precinct in the county's
jurisdiction during at least one general election. The bill would
require voluntary consent from the local elections official within
whose jurisdiction a vote by mail ballot dropoff location would be
located. The bill would require that the vote by mail ballot dropoff
locations be available to receive votes on the 5 business days
preceding election day. The bill would require each county elections
official who has a vote by mail ballot dropoff location within his or
her jurisdiction during an election to report to the Legislature and
the Secretary of State regarding the use of the vote by mail ballot
dropoff location within 6 months of the date of the election. The
Secretary of State would then be required to report to the
Legislature regarding an assessment of designated vote by mail ballot
dropoff locations on college campuses by examining the participation
in the program and the costs to the state for implementing the
program.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Vote by mail ballot dropoff locations on college campuses will
provide college students a more convenient way to vote and thereby
more effectively manage their busy class schedules.
(b) Research findings show that the younger a voter becomes
engaged in the political process, the more likely he or she will
remain an active participant in our democratic system of government.
SEC. 2. Article 6 (commencing with Section 12290) is added to
Chapter 3 of Division 12 of the Elections Code, to read:
Article 6. Designated Vote by Mail Ballot Dropoff Locations
12290. For at least one general election from January 1, 2011,
but prior to December 31, 2016, the Secretary of State, in
conjunction with the county elections officials, the University of
California, the California State University, and the California
Community Colleges, may establish designated dropoff locations for
vote by mail ballots on three college campuses in the state, subject
to the following conditions:
(a) One of the college campuses shall be within the University of
California. The campus selected must have at least 20,000 registered
students at the time of selection.
(b) One of the college campuses shall be within the California
State University. The campus selected must have at least 13,000
registered students at the time of selection.
(c) One of the college campuses shall be within the California
Community Colleges. The campus selected must have at least 10,000
registered students at the time of selection.
12291. A designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location
established pursuant to Section 12290 shall be available during the
five business days prior to the date of the election. To maintain the
security of the ballots, a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff
location shall be placed in a secure location that is centrally
located on the campus. The county elections officials shall retrieve
any ballots returned to a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff
location nightly. The Secretary of State shall provide implementation
instructions to participating counties that address ballot security
and assurances that the vote by mail ballot dropoff locations shall
be utilized solely by eligible voters in the participating county.
12292. (a) Each county elections official who has a designated
vote by mail ballot dropoff location within his or her jurisdiction
during an election shall report to the Legislature and the Secretary
of State regarding the election within six months after the date of
the election as it applies to a designated vote by mail ballot
dropoff location. This report shall include, at a minimum, statistics
regarding the cost of the designated vote by mail ballot dropoff
location, the number of ballots returned to a designated vote by mail
ballot dropoff location, and any problems with a designated vote by
mail ballot dropoff location that have been made known to the
elections official.
(b) After receiving the reports from the county elections
officials pursuant to subdivision (a) but not later than eight months
after the date of the election, the Secretary of State shall report
to the Legislature regarding an assessment of designated vote by mail
ballot dropoff locations on college campuses by examining the
participation in the program as well as the costs to the state for
implementing this article on these three campuses.
12293. This article shall remain in effect only until December
31, 2016, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before December 31, 2016, deletes or extends
that date.