BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
SB 240 (Yee) - Drop-off Ballot Boxes
Amended: January 21, 2014 Policy Vote: E&CA 3-1 ED 5-2
Urgency: No Mandate: Yes
Hearing Date: January 23, 2014
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense file.
Bill Summary: SB 240 requires the county elections officials to
establish at least one vote by mail (VBM) ballot drop-off
location within specified college campuses. Additionally, the
bill requires the Secretary of State to assist elections
officials by providing recommendations and guidelines regarding
the placement and security of VBM ballot drop boxes.
Fiscal Impact:
Unknown, potentially $500,000 in reimbursable state
mandated costs (General Fund)
Exact costs are unknown and will be dependent on the costs for
purchasing ballot boxes that meet the security requirements
proposed by this measure, the number of days/hours the drop
boxes are available (SB 240 allows up to 29 days per election),
and the level of staffing necessary.
Background: Under existing law, vote by mail ballots must be
voted on or before the day of the election. After marking the
ballot, the VBM voter must either (1) return the ballot by mail
or in person to the elections official from whom it came or (2)
return the ballot in person to a member of a precinct board at a
polling place within the jurisdiction.
Current law authorizes a VBM voter who is unable to return the
ballot to designate his or her spouse, child, parent,
grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, or a person residing
in the same household as the VBM voter to return the ballot to
the elections official from whom it came or to the precinct
board at a polling place within the jurisdiction.
Current law additionally requires elections officials to
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establish procedures to ensure the secrecy of a VBM ballot
returned to a precinct polling place and the security,
confidentiality, and integrity of any related personal
information collected, stored, or otherwise used.
Proposed Law: SB 240 will statutorily authorize the use of
ballot drop-off locations as one of three methods that a
vote-by-mail voter may use to return his or her ballot.
Additionally, the bill defines "vote by mail ballot drop box" as
a secure receptacle established by a county or city and county
elections official whereby a voted VBM ballot may be returned to
the elections official from whom it was obtained.
SB 240 requires the county elections officials to establish at
least one VBM ballot drop-off location on each campus of the
California State University and the University of California,
and to consider establishing at least one drop-off location at
each community college within its jurisdiction if the elections
official determines that the college would be convenient for
voters.
SB 240 further requires the following:
a) Each drop-off location must be monitored during business
hours by at least one person appointed by the elections
official;
b) Boxes must be secure and prevent the envelope, once
deposited, from being removed by anyone other than an
elections official;
c) If placed outside, drop-off boxes must be constructed of
durable material able to withstand inclement weather;
d) Boxes must be locked up during non-business hours;
e) For no more than 29 days prior to Election Day, two
people appointed by the elections official must empty each
box with sufficient frequency to prevent damage and
unauthorized access to the ballots;
f) Boxes must be sealed and contain seal logs that document
each time the box is opened, by whom, and the number of
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ballots removed; and,
g) Ballots must be placed into sealed transport carriers
and returned to the elections official.
The placement and security of each drop-off location shall be
determined by the elections official in accordance with
guidelines by the Secretary of State.
Staff Comments: Many counties have established drop off sites
where VBM voters can drop off their ballots before Election Day.
For example, Sacramento County has designated several
facilities such as city hall, county departments, assisted
living facilities, local businesses, non-profit and community
organizations, and facilities that already serve as polling
places on Election Day. The county requires that all facilities
must be accessible to voters with disabilities and have at least
one person monitor the station.
Many students attending college away from home are typically
registered to vote in their home county, and not the county in
which they are attending school. Since many college students
move several times while pursuing their degree and do not live
on campus during the month of June when primaries may be held,
they will use their parents' home address as their permanent
address for purposes of voter registration. As a result, some
of these students may mistakenly deposit their voted VBM ballot
in the campus ballot drop box resulting in those voters being
unknowingly disenfranchised.