Bill Text: CA SB968 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Elections: Los Angeles County.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-30 - From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A. [SB968 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB968-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
March 30, 2020 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 968
| Introduced by (Coauthors: Senators Archuleta and Umberg) (Coauthor: Assembly Member Burke) |
February 11, 2020 |
An act to amend Section 9082.5 4007 of the Elections Code, relating to voting. elections, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 968, as amended, Allen.
Voting: voter information guides.Elections: Los Angeles County.
Existing law imposes various requirements on voting locations that qualify as “vote centers,” including the number of locations that must be open and their hours of operation, and the requirements that they provide ballot dropoff boxes, voting machines for persons with disabilities, and conditional voter registration. Existing law authorizes the County of Los Angeles to conduct any election as a vote center election if, among other requirements, every permanent vote by mail voter receives a ballot.
This bill would instead require that for Los Angeles County to conduct an election as a vote center election, every registered voter must receive a vote by
mail ballot.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the Secretary of State to cause to be produced an audio recorded version of the state voter information guide, which must be made available in quantities to be determined by the Secretary of State.
This bill would require the audio recorded version to be made available over the internet.
Digest Key
Vote:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 4007 of the Elections Code is amended to read:4007.
(a) On or after January 1, 2020, the County of Los Angeles may conduct any election as a vote center election if all of the following apply:(1) The county elections official complies with all the provisions of subdivision (a) of Section 4005 that are not inconsistent with this section.
(2) Every permanent vote by mail registered voter receives a vote by mail ballot.
(3) At least two ballot dropoff locations are provided within the jurisdiction where the election is held or the number of ballot dropoff locations are fixed in a manner so that there is at least one ballot dropoff location provided for every 15,000 permanent vote by mail registered voters within the jurisdiction where the election is held, as determined on the 88th day before the day of the election, whichever results in more ballot dropoff locations.
(4) Within the jurisdiction where the election is held, at least one vote center is provided for each city that has at least 1,000 registered voters according to the official report of registration submitted by the county elections official to the Secretary of State before the last general election.
(5) On the day of the election, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., inclusive, and on
each of the three days before the election, for a minimum of eight hours per day, at least one vote center is provided for every 7,500 registered voters within the jurisdiction where the election is held, as determined on the 88th day before the day of the election. At least 90 percent of the number of vote centers required by this subparagraph shall be open for all four days during the required times. Up to 10 percent of the number of vote centers required by this subparagraph may be open for less than four days if at least one vote center is provided for every 7,500 registered voters on each day.
(6) Beginning 10 days before the day of the election and continuing up to and including the fourth day before the day of the election, for a minimum of eight hours per day, at least one vote center is provided for every 30,000 registered voters within the jurisdiction where the election is held, as determined on the 88th day before the election.
(7) Precincts with fewer than 500 registered voters are designated as all vote-by-mail ballot precincts.
(8) Voters residing in a legislative or congressional district that lies partially within the County of Los Angeles and that also lies within another county that is conducting an election pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 4005 receive a vote by mail ballot if they are eligible to vote in that election.
(9) Voters in a precinct that is either more than a 30 minute travel time from a vote center or in which the polling place in the most recent statewide general election is more than 15 miles from the nearest vote center are mailed a vote by mail ballot.
(10) The vote centers are located within a reasonable travel time of registered voters.
(11) The county elections official conducts a service area analysis of the vote center plans, identifies services gaps, and publicly reports those findings.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 4000 or any other law, on or after January 1, 2020, the County of Los Angeles may conduct a special election as an all-mailed ballot election pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 4005.
(c) No later than four years after conducting the first vote center election pursuant to this section, the County of Los Angeles may conduct all-mailed ballot elections pursuant to Section 4005 and shall not conduct vote center elections pursuant to this section.
SEC. 2.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:In order to ensure that the procedures and protections afforded by this act are effective for the general election held on November 3, 2020, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
The Secretary of State shall cause to be produced an audio recorded version of the state voter information guide. This audio recorded version shall be made available in quantities to be determined by the Secretary of State and shall be made available over the internet. The audio recorded version shall contain an impartial summary, arguments for and against, rebuttal arguments, and other information concerning each measure that the Secretary of State determines will make the audio recorded version of the state voter information guide easier to understand or more useful to the average voter.
