Bill Text: CA SB151 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

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

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Bill Title: Elections.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 566, Statutes of 2019. [SB151 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB151-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  May 16, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 151

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Introduced by Senator Umberg

January 22, 2019

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An act to amend Section 11320 Sections 11320, 13300, and 13303 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 151, as amended, Umberg. Recall elections.Elections.

Existing

(1) Existing law specifies the procedures for recall elections of stat 40 days nor less than 10 days before a primary election. Existing law requires a county elections official to send, not more than 40 days nor less than 21 days before an election, a copy of a substantial facsimile of the official ballot used in the election to each voter who is registered at least 29 days before the election.

This bill would delete the prohibition against sending these materials to voters earlier than 40 days before a primary election or election.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Digest Key

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

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 11320 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11320.

 The following shall appear on the ballots at every recall election, except in the case of a landowner voting district, with respect to each officer sought to be recalled:

(a) The question “Shall [name of officer sought to be recalled] be recalled (removed) from the office of [title of office]?”

(b) To the right of the foregoing question, the words “Yes” and “No” on separate lines with an enclosed voting space to the right of each.

(c) If the officer sought to be recalled holds a voter-nominated office, the officer may elect to have the officer’s party preference identified on the ballot. The statement of party preference shall appear immediately to the right of and on the same line as the officer’s name, or immediately below the officer’s name if there is not sufficient space to the right of the officer’s name, and shall appear in substantially the following form:

(1) If the officer stated a political party preference on the candidate’s declaration of candidacy pursuant to Section 8002.5, the statement shall read: “Party Preference:____” (inserting the name of the qualified political party stated on the declaration of candidacy).

(2) If the officer did not state a political party preference on the candidate’s declaration of candidacy pursuant to Section 8002.5, the statement shall read: “Party Preference: None.”

SEC. 2.

 Section 13300 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

13300.

 (a) By at least 29 days before the partisan primary, each county elections official shall prepare a separate county voter information guide for each political party and a separate nonpartisan county voter information guide. The county elections official shall place in each guide, as applicable, in the order provided in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 13100), and under the appropriate title of each office, the names of all candidates for whom nomination papers have been duly filed with him or her, the county elections official or have been certified to him or her the county elections official by the Secretary of State, to be voted for in his or her the county elections official’s county at the partisan primary election.

(b) The county voter information guides shall include a substantial facsimile of the official ballots, except as otherwise provided by law. The county voter information guides shall be printed on paper of a different texture from the paper to be used for the official ballot.

(c) One county voter information guide of the party for which the voter has disclosed a preference, as evidenced by his or her the voter’s registration, shall be mailed not more than 40 nor fewer no later than 10 days before the election to each voter entitled to vote at the primary who registered at least 29 days before the election. A nonpartisan county voter information guide shall be so mailed to each voter who is not registered as preferring any of the parties participating in the primary election. On election day the voter may, upon request, vote the ballot of a political party if authorized by the party’s rules, duly noticed to the Secretary of State.

SEC. 3.

 Section 13303 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

13303.

 (a) For each election, each appropriate elections official shall cause to be printed, on plain white paper or tinted paper, without watermark, at least as many copies of the form of ballot provided for use iD"> Internet Web site internet website and, if applicable, of the county Internet Web site internet website where a county voter information guide may be viewed.

SEC. 2.SEC. 4.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.