BILL NUMBER: AB 2467CHAPTERED BILL TEXT CHAPTER 683 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 11, 2010 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 16, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 15, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 21, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Monning FEBRUARY 19, 2010 An act to amend Sections 3006, 3007.5, and 3205 of the Elections Code, relating to elections. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2467, Monning. Elections: vote by mail. Existing law permits a voter to apply to his or her elections official for a vote by mail ballot between the 29th and the 7th day prior to an election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare and distribute to appropriate elections officials a uniform electronic application for a vote by mail ballot. Existing law requires a printed application for a vote by mail ballot that is to be distributed to voters and the uniform electronic application prepared by the Secretary of State to contain space to provide specified information, including the date on which the application must be received by the elections official prior to the election. Existing law also requires a printed application and the uniform electronic application to contain specified statements related to voting. This bill would delete the requirement that a printed application and the uniform electronic application contain space to include the date on which the application is due and would instead require that an application state that the application is due 7 days prior to the election. The bill would provide that the specified statements related to voting be substantially similar to those statements currently found in these provisions. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 3006 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 3006. (a) A printed application that is to be distributed to a voter for requesting a vote by mail voter's ballot shall inform the voter that the application for the vote by mail voter's ballot must be received by the elections official not later than seven days prior to the date of the election and shall contain spaces for the following: (1) The printed name and residence address of the voter as it appears on the affidavit of registration. (2) The address to which the ballot is to be mailed. (3) The voter's signature. (4) The name and date of the election for which the request is to be made. (b) (1) The information required by paragraphs (1) and (4) of subdivision (a) may be preprinted on the application. The information required by paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a) shall be personally affixed by the voter. (2) An address, as required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), may not be the address of a political party, a political campaign headquarters, or a candidate's residence. However, a candidate, his or her spouse, immediate family members, and any other voter who shares the same residence address as the candidate may request that a vote by mail ballot be mailed to the candidate's residence address. (3) An application that contains preprinted information shall contain a conspicuously printed statement substantially similar to the following: "You have the legal right to mail or deliver this application directly to the local elections official of the county where you reside." (c) The application shall inform the voter that if he or she is not affiliated with a political party, the voter may request a vote by mail ballot for a particular political party for the primary election, if that political party has adopted a party rule, duly noticed to the Secretary of State, authorizing that vote. The application shall contain a toll-free telephone number, established by the Secretary of State, that the voter may call to access information regarding which political parties have adopted such a rule. The application shall contain a checkoff box with a conspicuously printed statement that reads substantially similar to the following: "I am not presently affiliated with any political party. However, for this primary election only, I request a vote by mail ballot for the _________ Party." The name of the political party shall be personally affixed by the voter. (d) The application shall provide the voter with information concerning the procedure for establishing permanent vote by mail voter status, and the basis upon which permanent vote by mail voter status is claimed. (e) The application shall be attested to by the voter as to the truth and correctness of its content, and shall be signed under penalty of perjury. SEC. 2. Section 3007.5 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 3007.5. (a) The Secretary of State shall prepare and distribute to appropriate elections officials a uniform electronic application format for a vote by mail voter's ballot that conforms to this section. (b) The uniform electronic application shall inform the voter that the application for the vote by mail voter's ballot must be received by the elections official not later than seven days prior to the date of the election and shall contain spaces for at least the following information: (1) The name and residence address of the registered voter as it appears on the affidavit of registration. (2) The address to which the ballot is to be mailed. (3) The name and date of the election for which the request is made. (4) The date of birth of the registered voter. (c) The uniform electronic application shall inform the voter that if he or she is not affiliated with a political party, the voter may request a vote by mail ballot for a particular political party for the primary election, if that political party has adopted a party rule, duly noticed to the Secretary of State, authorizing that vote. The application shall contain a toll-free telephone number, established by the Secretary of State, that the voter may call to access information regarding which political parties have adopted such a rule. The application shall list the parties that have notified the Secretary of State of the adoption of such a rule. The application shall contain a checkoff box with a conspicuously printed statement that reads substantially similar to the following: "I am not presently affiliated with any political party. However, for this primary election only, I request a vote by mail ballot for the ____ Party." The name of the political party shall be personally affixed by the voter. (d) The uniform electronic application shall contain a conspicuously printed statement substantially similar to the following: "Only the registered voter himself or herself may apply for a vote by mail ballot. An application for a vote by mail ballot made by a person other than the registered voter is a criminal offense." (e) The uniform electronic application shall include a statement substantially similar to the following: "A ballot will not be sent to you if this application is incomplete or inaccurate." (f) The uniform electronic application format shall not permit the form to be electronically submitted unless all of the information required to complete the application is contained in the appropriate fields. SEC. 3. Section 3205 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 3205. (a) Vote by mail ballots mailed to, and received from, voters on the permanent vote by mail voter list are subject to the same deadlines and shall be processed and counted in the same manner as all other vote by mail ballots. (b) Prior to each primary election, county elections officials shall mail to every voter not affiliated with a political party whose name appears on the permanent vote by mail voter list a notice and application regarding voting in the primary election. The notice shall inform the voter that he or she may request a vote by mail ballot for a particular political party for the primary election, if that political party adopted a party rule, duly noticed to the Secretary of State, authorizing these voters to vote in their primary. The notice shall also contain a toll-free telephone number, established by the Secretary of State, that the voter may call to access information regarding which political parties have adopted such a rule. The application shall contain a checkoff box with a conspicuously printed statement that reads substantially similar to the following: "I am not presently affiliated with any political party. However, for this primary election only, I request a vote by mail ballot for the ____ Party." The name of the political party shall be personally affixed by the voter.