Elections: polling places and vote centers.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide exact details on the amount of space required or specific parking requirements, leaving these decisions to local officials.

Elections: Polling Places and Vote Centers

This law requires governing bodies to provide adequate space in school or public buildings for voting activities and storage, and ensures free parking is available.

What This Bill Does

• It allows schools or other public buildings to be used as polling places or vote centers up to 10 days before an election until the day of the election.
• It requires governing bodies to provide adequate space in these buildings for voting activities and storing supplies.
• It mandates free parking at these locations for voters and those helping with elections.
• It ensures accessible parking spaces are available if requested by the elections official.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who vote
• School districts or public administrators
• Governing bodies

Terms To Know

vote center

A place where voters can go to cast their ballots, often with more flexibility than traditional polling places.

governing body

The group that makes decisions for a school district or other public buildings.

Limits and Unknowns

• It does not specify the exact amount of space required.
• Details about specific parking requirements are left up to local officials.

Official Summary Text

AB 287, Lackey.
Elections: polling places and vote centers.
Existing law authorizes the governing body with jurisdiction over school buildings or other public buildings, as defined, to allow its buildings to be used for polling places, or for vote centers, beginning up to 10 days before the election and continuing through election day, or to store voting machines and other vote-tabulating devices. Once a governing body has approved the use of a building as a polling place or vote center, existing law requires the governing body to instruct the school district or other public administrator to provide the elections official a site with an adequate amount of space that will allow the precinct board or vote center to perform its duties.
This bill would require the governing body to instruct the school district or other public administrator to provide the elections official with an adequate amount of space for
voting operations and storage of associated supplies.
Existing law requires the district administrator to make building parking available at no charge to the precinct or vote center board and voters, as specified.
This bill would require the district administrator to also make accessible parking spaces and parking for assisting voters curbside available, if requested by the elections official.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF