BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1272
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1272 (Kehoe)
As Amended August 6, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :30-4
ELECTIONS 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Fong, Donnelly, Bonilla, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Hall, Logue, Mendoza, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Swanson | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| | | |Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Solorio, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Provides for county central committee elections to be
held every four years instead of every two years, and makes
other party-specific changes. Specifically, this bill :
1)Deletes the requirement that county central committee members
of the Democratic Party of California, the California
Republican Party, the American Independent Party of
California, and the Peace and Freedom Party of California, be
elected at every statewide direct primary election.
2)Permits county central committee members of the parties listed
above to be elected at every presidential primary election.
3)Permits county central committee members of the Democratic
Party of California, in accordance with the rules and
regulations adopted by the committee, to select its members at
any time by holding a caucus or convention, or by using any
other method of selection approved by the committee.
4)Permits county central committee members of the California
Republican Party, in accordance with the rules and regulations
adopted by the committee, to determine the number, the
district allocation, and the manner of election of its members
at any time by holding a caucus or convention, or by using any
other method approved by the committee. Provides that these
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provisions cannot be construed to permit a county central
committee to remove an ex officio member of the committee.
5)Permits county central committee members of the American
Independent Party of California to select its members at any
time by holding a caucus or convention in accordance with the
rules and regulations adopted by the county central committee
and the state central committee, or by using any other method
of selection approved by the state central committee.
6)Permits county central committee members of the Peace and
Freedom Party of California, in accordance with the rules and
regulations adopted by the committee and subject to the bylaws
of the state central committee, to select its members at any
time by holding a caucus or convention, or by using any other
method of selection approved by the committee.
7)Permits county central committees, subject to the bylaws of
the state central committee, to determine the length of time
that a candidate for membership on that committee must be
shown by his or her affidavit of registration to be affiliated
with the political party of that committee. Permits a county
central committee, subject to the bylaws of the state central
committee, to determine the length of time that a candidate
for membership on that committee must not have been registered
as affiliated with a qualified political party other than the
political party of that committee.
8)Requires nomination documents to be available to candidates
for membership on a county central committee beginning on the
158th day prior to the primary election.
9)Eliminates the option for a county central committee candidate
of the Democratic Party of California, the California
Republican Party, the American Independent Party of
California, and the Peace and Freedom Party of California,
when it is found by the elections official that the number of
candidates nominated for election to a central committee from
an Assembly or supervisorial district does not exceed the
number of candidates to be elected from that Assembly or
supervisorial district and prohibits the designation of that
office and the names of the candidates from being printed on
the party's ballot in the Assembly or supervisorial district,
to file a petition with the county elections official
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indicating that a write-in campaign will be conducted for the
office, as specified.
10)Contains a severability clause.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, changing central committee elections, through the
primary election system, to every four instead of every two
years will provide significant savings to counties. (According
to a survey conducted by the San Diego County Registrar of
Voters, in the June 2008 primary election, county central
committee/county council costs reported by 20 of the 58 counties
totaled $2.8 million statewide.)
COMMENTS : According to the author, "County elections offices
are experiencing the same significant funding challenges that
all county departments are experiencing. This provides
elections officers with measured fiscal relief regarding
elections for private political parties. State law requires
that county central committee elections for political parties be
conducted during each statewide primary, which amounts to
requiring taxpayers to spend public dollars on private political
party elections every two years. Additionally, Proposition 14 -
the Open Primary Law - requires that nonpartisan ballots for
state and federal candidates be provided to all voters for
primary elections. But central committee elections are partisan
races and elections officials must also provide ballots for
those contests - at taxpayer expense. Therefore, elections
officers from throughout California are collectively on the hook
for millions of dollars to develop and furnish partisan ballots
for central committee elections under current law. This bill
reduces county expenses by holding central committee elections
every four years - not every two years - during direct
presidential primaries. Political parties that need to hold
elections more often would retain authority to have as many
elections as deemed necessary using by holding elections outside
of the state process using internal party means."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916)
319-2094 FN:
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