BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1768
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Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1768 (Fong) - As Introduced: February 14, 2014
Policy Committee: ElectionsVote:7-0
(Consent)
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill:
1)Exempts a candidate for any office, whose voter registration
information is confidential, from the requirement to state a
residence address on their declaration of candidacy.
2)Stipulates that, if a candidate does not state his or her
residence address on the declaration of candidacy, the
elections official must verify whether the candidate's address
is within the appropriate political subdivision.
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible fiscal impact to county elections to conduct the
required verifications, as there are likely relatively few
candidates to whom the bill will apply.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . Current law provides that a candidate for judicial
office is not required to state his or her residential address
on the declaration of candidacy. In such cases, the elections
official is required to verify whether his or her address is
within the appropriate political subdivision and add the
notation of "verified" if appropriate.
This measure expands current law to include any candidate
whose voter registration information is deemed "confidential,"
as specified in current law, to the list of individuals who
may choose to not include their residential address when
AB 1768
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completing their declaration of candidacy.
2)Confidential Voter Registration . Existing law permits any
person registering to vote to have their identifying
information declared confidential upon order of a superior
court issued upon a showing of good cause that a
life-threatening circumstance exists to the voter or member of
the voter's household. In addition, participants in the
state's Safe at Home program have their voter registration
information kept confidential. The Safe at Home program allows
victims of domestic violence or stalking and those working or
volunteering in the reproductive health care field to apply to
the Secretary of State (SOS) to request an alternate address
to be used in public records. The SOS provides a substitute,
publicly accessible address for these victims while protecting
their actual residences or locations.
Finally, subject to certain conditions, public safety officers
can have their residence address, telephone number, and e-mail
address, as it appears on their affidavit of voter
registration, made confidential by completing and submitting
an application to the county elections official and signing a
statement under penalty of perjury that a life-threatening
circumstance exists to the officer or a member of the
officer's family.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081