SB 1450

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Prior law, the California Voter's Choice Act, required the Secretary of State to establish a taskforce that included certain individuals to review all-mailed ballot or vote center elections and to provide comments and recommendations to the Legislature within 6 months of each all-mailed ballot election or vote center election. The act was repealed by its own provisions on January 1, 2022. This bill would reestablish this taskforce. Existing law requires any county conducting an all-mailed ballot election to meet specified conditions, including that each vote center provide language assistance, that a county elections official establish a language accessibility advisory committee, and that the county elections official develop a draft plan for the administration of elections in consultation with the public. Under existing law, a voter education and outreach plan is required to include at least two direct contacts with voters to inform them of the upcoming election and to promote the toll-free voter assistance hotline. Existing law authorizes the county elections official to adopt a final plan for the administration of elections following a 14-day review and comment period. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to submit a report to the Legislature containing information about, among other things, voter turnout, voter registration, and ballot rejection rates, by specified categories. Existing law requires a county elections official to post on the official's internet website a report that compares the cost of an all-mailed ballot election to the cost of previous elections, as specified. This bill would require each vote center to post information regarding the availability of language assistance services, including language assistance hotlines provided by the county or Secretary of State. The bill would require a language accessibility advisory committee and a voting accessibility advisory committee to hold their first meetings before a public meeting required as part of the development of a draft plan for the administration of elections, and it would also require a county elections official, in a county with more than 500,000 registered voters, to establish a voter education and outreach advisory committee. The bill would repeal the requirement for a voter outreach and advisory committee on December 31, 2029. The bill would, after the first 6 statewide all-mailed ballot elections, authorize a county elections official to make only one direct contact with voters if the county elections official revises the plan for the administration of elections, as specified, and spends at least half the funds saved by not making a second direct contact on targeted outreach to historically underrepresented voters. The bill would require the county elections official to adopt a final plan for the administration of elections no later than 120 days before the election and following the 14-day review and comment period. The bill would require the Secretary of State to submit a final report to the Legislature containing specified information. The bill would require a county elections official to post a report within 9 months of the certification of the results of the election that compares the cost of an all-mailed ballot election with the costs of previous elections, as specified. By increasing the duties of local elections officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 4005 of the Elections Code proposed by AB 884 to be operative only if this bill and AB 884 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.