California Assembly Bill AB2692 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2692INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Committee on Elections and Redistricting MARCH 14, 2012 An act to amend Sections 12222 and 21000 of, to add Sections 21141 and 21305 to, and to repeal Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 21200) of, and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 21400) of, Division 21 of, the Elections Code, relating to electoral districts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2692, as introduced, Committee on Elections and Redistricting. Electoral districts and precincts. Existing law requires the local elections official to divide the jurisdiction into election precincts. The elections official is required to establish precinct boundaries so that they do not cross census tract or enumeration district lines, to the extent possible without subjecting the voter to significant inconvenience. This bill would repeal the requirement that precinct boundaries not cross census tract or enumeration district lines. The bill would also delete a provision of law requiring each precinct to be identified according to the census tract or enumeration district in which it is located. Existing law establishes the boundaries of Senate, Assembly, State Board of Equalization, and congressional districts based on the 2000 national census. This bill would repeal, effective January 1, 2013, those provisions establishing Assembly and congressional districts, and would further repeal, effective January 1, 2015, those provisions establishing Senate and State Board of Equalization districts. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 12222 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 12222. (a) No precinct shall be established so that its boundary crosses the boundary of any supervisorial district, congressional district, senatorial district, Assembly district, board of equalization district, judicial district, incorporated city, ward, or city council district.  To the extent possible, without subjecting the voter to significant inconvenience, precinct boundaries should not cross census tract or enumeration district lines.  (b) If, at any election, any precinct contains an insufficient number of qualified persons to make up a precinct board, the precinct may be consolidated with an adjoining precinct. SEC. 2. Section 21000 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 21000. The county elections official in each county shall compile and make available to the Legislature or any appropriate committee of the Legislature any information and statistics that may be necessary for use in connection with the reapportionment of legislative districts, including, but not limited to, precinct maps indicating the boundaries of municipalities, school districts, judicial districts, Assembly districts, senatorial districts and congressional districts, lists showing the election returns for each precinct, and election returns for each precinct reflecting the vote total for all ballots cast, including both vote by mail ballots and ballots cast at polling places, compiled pursuant to  subdivision (a) of  Section 15321 in the county at each statewide election. If the county elections official stores the information and statistics in data-processing files, he or she shall make the files available, along with whatever documentation shall be necessary in order to allow the use of the files by the appropriate committee of the Legislature and shall retain these files until the next reapportionment has been completed.  Each precinct shall be identified according to the census tract or enumeration district in which it is located. When a precinct is divided among two or more census tracts or enumeration districts, the county elections official shall include an estimate of the proportion of the precinct's registered voters in each census tract or enumeration district. If the United States Census Bureau divides or alters any census tract or enumeration district between the time of an election and the census upon which the reapportionment is based, the county elections official shall provide whatever corrections or additional information may be necessary to reflect those changes.  SEC. 3. Section 21141 is added to the Elections Code, to read: 21141. This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2015, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2015, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 4. Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 21200) of Division 21 of the Elections Code is repealed. SEC. 5. Section 21305 is added to the Elections Code, to read: 21305. This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2015, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2015, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 6. Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 21400) of Division 21 of the Elections Code is repealed.