Bill Text: CA AB1730 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Elections omnibus bill.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2017-07-24 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 118, Statutes of 2017. [AB1730 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB1730-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1730

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Introduced by Committee on Elections and Redistricting (Assembly Members Low (Chair), Berman, Calderon, Mullin, and Weber)

March 23, 2017

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An act to amend Sections 2153, 9315, 11020, and 12262 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1730, as introduced, Committee on Elections and Redistricting. Elections omnibus bill.

(1) Existing law requires the county elections official, if an affidavit of registration does not contain all the information required to be submitted, but the telephone number is legible, to telephone the affiant to attempt to collect the missing information.

This bill would instead require the county elections official to attempt to contact the affiant and collect the missing information if the affidavit does not contain all of the information required. The bill would also make a conforming change.

(2) Existing law allows a proposed ordinance to be submitted to the governing board of a district by an initiative petition filed with the district elections official. Existing law permits the persons filing the initiative petition to also file a written argument in favor of the ordinance, and it requires the district elections official to print and mail these arguments to each voter with the voter information guide for the election.

The bill would instead permit the district board or any member or members of the board, the proponent or proponents of the measure, an individual voter who is eligible to vote on the measure, a bona fide association of citizens, or a combination of voters and associations to file a written argument for or against any district measure.

(3) Existing law requires the proponents of a recall of an elected officer to submit a notice of intention, which is required to contain, among other requirements, the printed name, signature, and residence address of each of the proponents, as specified.

The bill would clarify that the residence address must include the street and number, city, and ZIP Code of each of the proponents of the recall.

(4) Existing law requires an elections official to divide a jurisdiction into precincts and prepare detail maps or exterior descriptions of the precincts. Existing law requires that jurisdictional boundary changes occur at least 88 days before an election for the changes to be effective for purposes of that election.

The bill would increase that time period to 125 days before an election for boundary changes to be effective.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 2153 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

2153.

 (a) Except as provided in Section 2154, the affidavit of registration shall show all the facts required to be stated.

(b) If the affidavit does not contain all of the information required, but the telephone number of the affiant is legible, the county elections official shall telephone attempt to contact the affiant and attempt to collect the missing information.

(c) If the affidavit does not contain all of the information required, and the county elections official is not able to collect the missing information by telephone, but the mailing address of the affiant is legible, the county elections official shall inform the affiant of the reason for rejection and shall send to the affiant either of the following:

(1) A new voter registration card.

(2) Any other document, as determined by the elections official, on which the affiant may provide the missing information. An affiant who provides information pursuant to this paragraph shall certify under penalty of perjury that the information provided is true and correct.

SEC. 2.

 Section 9315 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

9315.

The persons filing an initiative petition pursuant to this article may file a written argument in favor of the ordinance. The district board may submit an argument against the ordinance. Neither argument shall exceed 300 words in length, and both arguments shall be printed and mailed to each voter with the voter information guide for the election.

9315.

 (a) The district board or any member or members of the board, the proponent or proponents of the measure, an individual voter who is eligible to vote on the measure, a bona fide association of citizens, or a combination of these voters and associations may file a written argument, not to exceed 300 words in length, for or against any district measure. The district elections official shall cause an argument for and an argument against the measure, and the analysis of the measure, to be printed, and he or she shall enclose a copy of both arguments preceded by the analysis with each voter information guide. The printed arguments and the analysis are “official matter” within the meaning of Section 13303.

The

(b) The following statement shall be printed on the front cover, or if none, on the heading of the first page, of the printed arguments:

“Arguments in support of or in opposition to the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors.”

Printed

(c) Printed arguments submitted to voters in accordance with this section shall be titled either “Argument In Favor Of Measure ____” or “Argument Against Measure ____,” accordingly, the blank spaces being filled in only with the letter or number, if any, designating the measure. At the discretion of the district elections official, the word “Proposition” may be substituted for the word “Measure” in the titles. Words used in the title shall not be counted when determining the length of any argument.

SEC. 3.

 Section 11020 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11020.

 The notice of intention shall contain all of the following:

(a) The name and title of the officer sought to be recalled.

(b) A statement, not exceeding 200 words in length, of the reasons for the proposed recall.

(c) The printed name, signature, and residence address, including street and number, city, and ZIP Code, of each of the proponents of the recall. If a proponent cannot receive mail at the residence address, he or she must provide an alternative mailing address. The minimum number of proponents is 10, or equal to the number of signatures required to have been filed on the nomination paper of the officer sought to be recalled, whichever is higher.

(d) The provisions of Section 11023.

SEC. 4.

 Section 12262 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

12262.

 Jurisdictional boundary changes occurring less than 88 125 days before an election shall not be effective for purposes of that election. Voters residing within an area affected by a boundary change, occurring within 88 125 days before an election, shall vote at the ensuing election in all respects as if no a boundary change had not occurred. However, any district that holds a general district election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an odd-numbered year shall complete any boundary change not less than 130 days prior to the election in order to comply with Section 10522.