AB 544: Voting pilot program: county jails.

Under existing law, a person is authorized to vote if that person is a United States citizen, a resident of California, at least 18 years of age, and not imprisoned for the conviction of a felony. Existing law further specifies conditions under which a person may register to vote, vote in person, vote by mail, vote a provisional ballot, and receive a replacement ballot.

This bill would, until January 1, 2030, require the Secretary of State to, upon appropriation of funds for this purpose, operate a pilot program to provide grants to county election offices in the County of San Benito, the County of San Mateo, and the County of Santa Cruz to improve voter participation in jail facilities, as defined. The bill would require grantees to facilitate in-person voting for all eligible incarcerated persons. Participating counties would be required to meet specified requirements and permit any eligible incarcerated person to perform specified activities, including registering to vote and voting, returning a vote by mail ballot, voting a provisional ballot, and receiving a replacement ballot. In the counties administering grants under these provisions, the bill would require the county sheriff or jail facility administrator to designate an employee as a voting coordinator at each facility who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with requirements pertaining to in-person voting for maintaining voter education materials in the jail library, and for posting informational flyers regarding voting rights and eligibility to vote, among other duties. The bill would require the Secretary of State to prepare a related training for voting coordinators. The bill would require a local elections official receiving a grant to evaluate the program and report the results of the evaluation to the Secretary of State, as specified.

By imposing additional duties on specific county election offices, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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.