Bill Text: CA AB17 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 17 (Prior Session Legislation)

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

Bill Title: Elections: vote by mail ballots.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-09-05 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 223, Statutes of 2019. [AB17 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB17-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate June 10, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 17

Introduced by Assembly Members Salas and Gonzalez
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula and Eduardo Garcia)

December 03, 2018

An act to amend Section 14002 of, and add Sections 14004 and 18503 to, the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 17, as amended, Salas. Elections: vote by mail ballots.

Existing law requires a vote by mail ballot to be available to any registered voter. Existing law requires employers, as specified, to allow voters to take up to two hours off of work, without loss of pay, to vote.

This bill would prohibit an employer from requiring or requesting that an employee bring ~~his or her~~ the employee’s vote by mail ballot to work or vote ~~his or her~~ the employee’s vote by mail ballot at work. The bill makes a violation of this prohibition subject to a civil fine of up to $10,000 per election.

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

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

SECTION 1.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Voter Protection Act.”

SEC. 2.

Section 14002 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

14002.

Sections 14000, 14001, and 14004 shall apply to all public agencies and the employees thereof, as well as to employers and employees in private industry.

SEC. 3.

Section 14004 is added to the Elections Code, to read:

14004.

(a) An employer shall not require or request that an employee bring ~~his or her~~ the employee’s vote by mail ballot to work or vote ~~his or her~~ the employee’s vote by mail ballot at work.

(b) This section does not prohibit an employer from encouraging an employee to vote.

SEC. 4.

Section 18503 is added to the Elections Code, to read:

18503.

An employer who violates Section 14004 shall be subject to a civil fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per election. An action for a civil fine under this subdivision may be brought by the Secretary of State or any public prosecutor with jurisdiction.