Bill Text: CA SB1440 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Bill 1440 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Voting information materials.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-12 - Referred to Com. on RLS. [SB1440 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB1440-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1440

Introduced by Senator Grove

February 21, 2020

An act to amend Section 13300.7 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1440, as introduced, Grove. Voting information materials.

Existing law authorizes county and city elections officials to establish procedures, subject to specified conditions, designed to permit a voter to opt out of receiving voter information guides, notice of polling place, and associated materials by mail, and instead obtain them electronically via email or by accessing them on the city or county’s internet website.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to this provision.

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

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

SECTION 1.

Section 13300.7 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

13300.7.

Notwithstanding any other law, county and city elections officials may establish procedures designed to permit a voter to opt out of receiving ~~his or her~~ the voter’s county voter information guide, state voter information guide, notice of polling place, and associated materials by mail, and instead obtain them electronically via email or by accessing them on the county’s or city’s ~~Internet Web site,~~ internet website, if all of the following conditions are met:

(a) The procedures establish a method of providing notice of and an opportunity by which a voter can notify elections officials of ~~his or her~~ the voter’s desire to obtain ballot materials electronically in lieu of receiving them by mail.

(b) The voter email address or any other information provided by the voter under this section remains confidential pursuant to Section 6254.4 of the Government Code and Section 2194 of this code.

(c) The procedures provide notice and opportunity for a voter who has opted out of receiving a county voter information guide and other materials by mail to opt back into receiving them by mail.

(d) The procedures establish a process by which a voter can apply electronically to become a vote by mail voter.

(e) A voter may only opt out of, or opt back into, receiving ~~his or her~~ the voter’s county voter information guide and other ballot materials by mail if the elections official receives the request and can process it before the statutory deadline for the mailing of those materials for the next election, pursuant to Section 13303. If a voter misses this deadline, the request shall take effect the following election.

(f) The procedures shall include a verification process to confirm the voter’s identity, either in writing with a signature card that can be matched to the one on file with the elections official, or if the request is submitted electronically, it shall contain the voter’s California driver’s license number, California identification number, or a partial social security number.

(g) Information made available over the Internet pursuant to this section shall meet or exceed the most current, ratified standards under Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794d), as amended, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 adopted by the World Wide Web Consortium for accessibility. Election officials may also implement recommendations of the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee made pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 2053, and of any local Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee created pursuant to the guidelines promulgated by the Secretary of State related to the accessibility of polling places by the physically handicapped.