BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1343
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1343 (Fong)
As Introduced February 18, 2011
Majority vote
ELECTIONS 5-2
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|Ayes:|Fong, Bonilla, Hall, | | |
| |Mendoza, Swanson | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Logue, Valadao | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires a voter's name to be deleted from the
permanent vote by mail (PVBM) voter list if he or she fails to
return a vote by mail (VBM) ballot for four consecutive
statewide general elections, instead of two consecutive
statewide general elections.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Allows any voter to become a PVBM voter.
2)Requires a voter's name to be deleted from the PVBM voter list
if he or she fails to return an executed VBM ballot for two
consecutive statewide general elections.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative
Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Since 2002, California law
has allowed any voter to become a PVBM voter, and to receive
automatically a VBM ballot for every election without applying
for a VBM ballot at each election. Since that time, the number
of PVBM voters in the state has shot up from fewer than 300,000
in 2000, to nearly 6.5 million by last November's general
election. Three out of every eight registered California voters
are now signed-up as PVBM voters?A voter who chose to become a
PVBM voter because he or she prefers the convenience of voting
by mail has a reasonable expectation of receiving a ballot in
the mail for every election in which that voter is eligible to
vote. However, existing law requires a voter to be removed from
AB 1343
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the list of PVBM voters if he or she fails to return a completed
PVBM ballot in two consecutive statewide general elections. As
a result, a voter who missed two consecutive elections could be
prevented from voting if that voter didn't realize that his or
her name was deleted from the PVBM voter list. AB 1343 allows
occasional voters to maintain their desired status as PVBM
voters by providing that a voter's name will be deleted from the
list of PVBM voters only if that voter fails to vote in four
consecutive statewide elections."
SB 39 (Murray), Chapter 113, Statutes of 2005, required a
voter's name to be deleted from the PVBM voter list if he or she
failed to return a VBM ballot for two consecutive statewide
general elections, instead of for failing to return a VBM ballot
in any single statewide general election.
Analysis Prepared by : Ethan Jones / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094
FN: 0000263