BILL NUMBER: SB 970ENROLLED BILL TEXT PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 25, 2010 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 29, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 14, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 10, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 18, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 11, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Senator Corbett (Coauthor: Senator Hancock) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Fong, Mendoza, Saldana, and Swanson) FEBRUARY 5, 2010 An act to add and repeal Article 6 (commencing with Section 12290) to Chapter 3 of Division 12 of the Elections Code, relating to elections. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 970, Corbett. Vote by mail voting. Existing law generally requires voters who wish to vote and who do not cast their ballots by mail to cast their ballot at the precinct polling place on election day. This bill would permit, until December 31, 2016, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the county elections officials, the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, to select 3 college campuses, one each within the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, to serve as vote by mail ballot dropoff locations for any precinct in the county's jurisdiction during at least one general election. The bill would require voluntary consent from the local elections official within whose jurisdiction a vote by mail ballot dropoff location would be located. The bill would require that the vote by mail ballot dropoff locations be available to receive votes on the 5 business days preceding election day. The bill would require each county elections official who has a vote by mail ballot dropoff location within his or her jurisdiction during an election to report to the Legislature and the Secretary of State regarding the use of the vote by mail ballot dropoff location within 6 months of the date of the election. The Secretary of State would then be required to report to the Legislature regarding an assessment of designated vote by mail ballot dropoff locations on college campuses by examining the participation in the program and the costs to the state for implementing the program. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Vote by mail ballot dropoff locations on college campuses will provide college students a more convenient way to vote and thereby more effectively manage their busy class schedules. (b) Research findings show that the younger a voter becomes engaged in the political process, the more likely he or she will remain an active participant in our democratic system of government. SEC. 2. Article 6 (commencing with Section 12290) is added to Chapter 3 of Division 12 of the Elections Code, to read: Article 6. Designated Vote by Mail Ballot Dropoff Locations 12290. For at least one general election from January 1, 2011, but prior to December 31, 2016, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the county elections officials, the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, may establish designated dropoff locations for vote by mail ballots on three college campuses in the state, subject to the following conditions: (a) One of the college campuses shall be within the University of California. The campus selected must have at least 20,000 registered students at the time of selection. (b) One of the college campuses shall be within the California State University. The campus selected must have at least 13,000 registered students at the time of selection. (c) One of the college campuses shall be within the California Community Colleges. The campus selected must have at least 10,000 registered students at the time of selection. 12291. A designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location established pursuant to Section 12290 shall be available during the five business days prior to the date of the election. To maintain the security of the ballots, a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location shall be placed in a secure location that is centrally located on the campus. The county elections officials shall retrieve any ballots returned to a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location nightly. The Secretary of State shall provide implementation instructions to participating counties that address ballot security and assurances that the vote by mail ballot dropoff locations shall be utilized solely by eligible voters in the participating county. 12292. (a) Each county elections official who has a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location within his or her jurisdiction during an election shall report to the Legislature and the Secretary of State regarding the election within six months after the date of the election as it applies to a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location. This report shall include, at a minimum, statistics regarding the cost of the designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location, the number of ballots returned to a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location, and any problems with a designated vote by mail ballot dropoff location that have been made known to the elections official. (b) After receiving the reports from the county elections officials pursuant to subdivision (a) but not later than eight months after the date of the election, the Secretary of State shall report to the Legislature regarding an assessment of designated vote by mail ballot dropoff locations on college campuses by examining the participation in the program as well as the costs to the state for implementing this article on these three campuses. 12293. This article shall remain in effect only until December 31, 2016, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before December 31, 2016, deletes or extends that date.