California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1817

Introduced by Assembly Member Gomez

February 18, 2014

An act to add Section 49041 to the Education Code, and to amend Sections 2103 and 2109 of the Elections Code, relating to voter registration.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1817, as introduced, Gomez. Voter registration: deputy registrars of voters: high school pupils.

Under existing law, a person who is a registered voter qualifies for appointment as a deputy registrar of voters. Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature that county elections officials, in order to promote and encourage voter registration, shall enlist the support and cooperation of interested citizens and organizations, and shall deputize as registrars qualified citizens. Existing law permits a person deputized as a registrar by the county elections official to register voters. Existing law permits the governing board of a county, city, city and county, district, or other public agency to authorize and assign an officer or employee to become a deputy registrar of voters and register qualified citizens on any premise or facility owned or controlled by the agency.

This bill would permit the governing board of a school district to authorize a high school pupil 16 years of age or older to become a deputy registrar of voters and to registrar to vote qualified pupils on his or her high school campus.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 49041 is added to the Education Code,
to read:

49041.  

The governing board of a school district may authorize
a high school pupil 16 years of age or older to become a deputy
registrar of voters, and to register to vote qualified pupils on his
or her high school campus, pursuant to Section 2103 of the
Elections Code.

SEC. 2.  

Section 2103 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

2103.  

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the election
board of each county, in order to promote and encourage voter
registrations, shall establish a sufficient number of registration
places throughout the county, and outside the county courthouse,
for the convenience of persons desiring to register, to the end that
registration may be maintained at a high level.

(b) It is also the intent of the Legislature that county elections
officials, in order to promote and encourage voter registrations,
shall enlist the support and cooperation of interested citizens and
organizations, and shall deputize as registrars qualified citizens in
such a way as to reach most effectively every resident of the
county. The persons so deputized shall be permitted to register
voters anywhere within the county, including at the places of
residence of the persons to be registered, and the county elections
official shall not deny deputy registrars the right to register voters
anywhere in the county.

(c) It is also the intent of the Legislature that
non-English-speaking citizens, like all other citizens, should be
encouraged to vote. Therefore, appropriate efforts should be made
to minimize obstacles to registration by citizens who lack sufficient
skill in English to register without assistance.

(d)  begin delete Where end delete begin insert If end insert the county elections official finds that citizens
described in subdivision (c) approximate begin delete 3 end delete begin insert three end insert percent or more
of the voting age residents of a precinct, or begin delete in the event that end delete begin insert if end insert
interested citizens or organizations provide information begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert
the county elections official believes indicates a need for
registration assistance for qualified citizens described in
subdivision (c), the county elections official shall make reasonable
efforts to recruit deputy registrars who are fluent in a language
used by citizens described in subdivision (c) and in English. That
recruitment shall be conducted through the cooperation of
interested citizens and organizations and through voluntarily
donated public service notices in the media, including newspapers,
radio, and television, particularly those media that serve the
non-English-speaking citizens described in subdivision (c). Deputy
registrars so appointed shall facilitate registration in the particular
precincts concerned and shall have the right to register voters
anywhere in the county.

(e) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the governing
board of begin delete any end delete begin insert a end insert county, city, city and county, district, or other public
agency may authorize and assign any of its officers or employees
to become deputy registrars of voters and to register qualified
citizens on any premises and facilities owned or controlled by
those public agencies during the regular working hours of the
officers or employees. With the exception of firefighters, any
compensation to which the officer or employee may be entitled in
payment for the services of the officer or employee as a deputy
registrar may be paid by the authority that appointed the officer
or employee as a deputy registrar to the public agency that regularly
employs the officer or employee.

begin insert

(f) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the governing
board of a school district may authorize a high school pupil 16
years of age or older to become a deputy registrar of voters and
to registrar to vote qualified pupils on his or her high school
campus.

end insert begin delete

(f)

end delete

begin insert (g) end insert  It is the intent of the Legislature that no limitation be
imposed on the number of persons appointed to act as deputy
registrars of voters.

begin delete

(g)

end delete

begin insert (h) end insert  It is the intent of the Legislature that county elections
officials be permitted to distribute affidavits of registration and
voter registration cards, in all languages required by Section 203
(42 U.S.C. Sec. 1973aa-1a) or Section 4(f)(4) (42 U.S.C. Sec.
1973b(f)(4)) of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, by using
the county’s Internet Web site.

SEC. 3.  

Section 2109 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

2109.  

begin delete Any end delete begin insert A end insert person begin delete who is a registered voter end delete qualifies for
appointment as a deputy registrar of voters begin insert if he or she is a
registered voter or is a person described in subdivision (f) of
Section 2103 end insert .