Bill Text: CA AB781 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 781 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Affidavits of registration.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2018-02-01 - Died at Desk. [AB781 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB781-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 781

Introduced by Assembly Member Harper

February 15, 2017

An act to amend Section 2157 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 781, as introduced, Harper. Affidavits of registration.

Existing law prescribes the contents of a paper affidavit of registration and requires affidavits of registration to inform voters that they may qualify for confidential voter status, among other requirements.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

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

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

SECTION 1.

Section 2157 of the Elections Code, as amended by Section 30 of Chapter 728 of the Statutes of 2015, is amended to read:

2157.

(a) Subject to this chapter, the paper affidavit of registration shall be in a form prescribed by regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. The affidavit shall comply with all of the following:

(1) Contain the information prescribed in Section 2150.

(2) Allow for the inclusion of informational language to meet the specific needs of that county, including, but not limited to, the return address of the elections official in that county, and a telephone number at which a voter can obtain elections information in that county.

(3) Be included on one portion of a multipart card, to be known as a voter registration card, the other portions of which shall include information sufficient to facilitate completion and mailing of the affidavit. The affidavit portion of the multipart card shall be numbered according to regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. For purposes of facilitating the distribution of voter registration cards as provided in Section 2158, there shall be attached to the affidavit portion a receipt. The receipt shall be separated from the body of the affidavit by a perforated line.

(4) Contain, in a type size and color of ink that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement identical or substantially similar to the following:

“Certain voters facing life-threatening situations may qualify for confidential voter status. For more information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Safe At at Home program or visit the Secretary of State’s Web site.”

(5) Contain, in a type size and color of ink that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement that the use of voter registration information for commercial purposes is a misdemeanor pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 2194 and Section 18109, and any suspected misuse shall be reported to the Secretary of State.

(6) Contain a toll-free fraud hotline telephone number maintained by the Secretary of State that the public may use to report suspected fraudulent activity concerning misuse of voter registration information.

(7) Be returnable to the county elections official as a self-enclosed mailer with postage prepaid by the Secretary of State.

(b) ~~Nothing contained in this~~ This division ~~shall~~ does not prevent the use of voter registration cards and affidavits of registration in existence on the effective date of this section and produced pursuant to regulations of the Secretary of State, and all references to voter registration cards and affidavits in this division shall be applied to the existing voter registration cards and affidavits of registration.

(c) The Secretary of State may continue to supply existing affidavits of registration prior to printing new or revised forms that reflect the changes required pursuant to this section or Section 2150.

(d) An affidavit of registration shall not be submitted electronically on a county’s Internet Web site. However, a county may provide a hyperlink on the county’s Internet Web site to the Secretary of State’s electronic voter registration system.