BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1342|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1342
Author: Simitian (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE ELEC., REAP. & CONST. AMEND. COM. : 4-0, 4/20/10
AYES: Hancock, DeSaulnier, Liu, Strickland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Denham
SUBJECT : Election precincts
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill allows a local election official to
subtract permanent vote by mail voters from the total
number of voters when creating election precincts, as
specified.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires the boundaries of an
election precinct 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 an election.
Existing law permits any registered voter to apply to
become a permanent vote by mail voter (PVBMV) wherein he or
she will automatically receive a vote by mail ballot for
all elections.
This bill allows elections officials to subtract the number
of PVBMVs from the total number of voters when creating
CONTINUED
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precincts provided that the number of voters in the
precinct does not exceed the percentage of non-PVBMVs in
the jurisdiction on the 88th day prior to the election
multiplied by 1,000.
Background
The Senate Election, Reapportionment and Constitutional
Committee analysis indicate the trend toward PVBMVs is
growing particularly since the enactment of AB 120
(Shelley), Chapter 922, Statutes of 2001, which allowed any
voter to become a PVBMV. According to data provided by the
Secretary of State, there were almost six million (or 41.6
percent) votes cast in the 2008 General Election by voters
registered as PVBMVs - a number that continues to rise.
Prior/Related Legislation
SB 967 (Simitian) 2008 was an identical bill but ended up
being vetoed by the Governor who stated that due to the
historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget, only
bills of the highest priority would be signed.
AB 984 (Price) as introduced in 2007, was related to this
bill in that it would allow elections officials to subtract
PVBMVs from the total number of voters in specified
circumstances when forming or changing precinct boundaries
prior to an election. AB 984 was held under submission on
the Senate Appropriations Suspense File.
Unlike previous legislation dealing with precinct size,
this bill is intended to ensure that counties don't have
empty polling places in one part of town while voters are
waiting in long lines in another part of town. The primary
effect of which will be not to reduce the number of
precincts, but to shift precincts within a county from
areas with high concentrations of PVBMVs to areas with
lower concentrations of PVBMVs, and thus to roughly
equalize the number of polling place voters that are served
by each polling place within a county.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
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SUPPORT : (Verified 4/21/10)
County of Santa Cruz
League of Women Voters
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Urban County Caucus
DLW:do 4/22/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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