AB 3258: Elections.

(1)Existing law requires a county elections official to prepare specified information regarding registered voters in the county, including the total number of voters and the number of voters registered as preferring each qualified political party. Existing law requires a county elections official, on specified days before an election, to prepare this information and to notify the Secretary of State that the information is available with respect to voters registered on certain dates before the election, including not less than 102 days before each presidential general election with respect to voters registered before the 123rd day before the presidential general election.

This bill would clarify that on each of the specified days before an election for which a county elections official must prepare information and give notice to the Secretary of State that the notice applies with respect to all voters who are registered voters on the applicable day before the election.

(2)Existing law authorizes a candidate seeking elective office to submit a petition containing signatures of registered voters in lieu of a filing fee, as specified. Existing law requires those in-lieu-filing-fee petitions to be filed at least 30 days before the close of the nomination period, and requires the candidate to pay a pro rata portion of the filing fee to cover any deficiency in the number of signatures required for the in-lieu-filing fee petition for the office.

This bill would establish different deadlines for filing in-lieu-filing-fee petitions if the last day to file in-lieu-filing fee petitions pursuant to that deadline for a special election to fill a vacancy occurs before the vacancy begins, or before the Governor issues a proclamation calling the special election. Under these circumstances, if the nomination period is 12 days or more, the bill would require in-lieu-filing fee petitions to be filed at least 9 days before the close of the nomination period, with the deficiency calculated by the elections official within 3 days after receipt of a petition. If the nomination period is 11 days or less, the bill would require the Secretary of State to set the deadline for filing in-lieu-filing fee petitions and the time by which the elections official shall notify the candidate of a deficiency. The bill would also delete an obsolete provision.

(3)Existing law requires the Secretary of State, in those instances in which the county elections official uses data processing equipment to store voter registration information, to mail state voter information guides to voters who have registered on or before the 60th day before the election at which measures contained in the state voter information guide are to be voted on, unless a voter has registered fewer than 29 days before the election. For voters who registered after the 60th day before the election, existing law requires the Secretary of State to provide for the mailing of state voter information guides by either mailing the guide to those voters or requiring the county elections official to mail the guide. In those instances in which the county elections official does not use data processing equipment to store voter registration information, existing law requires the Secretary of State to furnish state voter information guides to the county elections official for mailing to voters.

This bill would instead require the Secretary of State to mail state voter information guides in all cases to voters who have registered before the 28th day before the election.

(4)Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare and mail to voters the state voter information guide, as specified. Existing law requires each appropriate elections official to prepare and mail to voters the county voter information guide, as specified. However, existing law authorizes a county elections official to elect not to mail a county voter information guide to a permanent vote by mail voter or a voter in a specified mail ballot election if, among other things, the county elections official prepares and mails to the voter a state voter information guide that includes all of the information required to be included in the county voter information guide.

This bill instead would authorize the county elections official to elect not to mail the county voter information guide if he or she prepares and mails to the voter a document that includes all of the information required to be included in the county voter information guide. The bill would also make other clarifying and conforming changes regarding voter information guides.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2187 of the Elections Code proposed by AB 2245 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2245 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.