Elections and voting procedures.

Plain English Breakdown

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Elections and Voting Procedures

This law changes how mailed ballots are counted after election day and updates rules for recount elections.

What This Bill Does

• Extends the deadline for mailed ballots to be considered timely from 3 days to 7 days after election day.
• Allows voters requesting a recount to specify the order in which votes are recounted by batch or county.
• Requires that members of special recount boards must be eligible to vote in California and sets qualifications for board supervisors.
• Imposes protections against unauthorized access to voting systems and voter information during recounts.
• Reimburses counties for costs related to special recount boards.

Who It Names or Affects

• Voters who cast ballots by mail
• Local elections officials responsible for conducting recounts

Terms To Know

Mailed ballot election

An election where voters receive and return their ballots through the mail.

Recount board

A group of officials who review votes during a recount election.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill's full effects depend on whether related Assembly Bill 1513 is also enacted.
• Local elections offices may need additional funding to cover new duties imposed by the state.

Official Summary Text

AB 930, Ward.
Elections and voting procedures.
(1) Existing law provides that ballots cast in all-mailed ballot elections, as specified, are considered timely cast if they are received by the voter’s elections official by mail no later than 3 days after election day and additional, specified conditions are satisfied.
This bill would extend the above deadline for mailed ballots to be timely cast to 7 days after election day.
(2) Existing law establishes requirements for the conduct of recount elections, including with respect to the order in which precincts must be recounted, procedures for special recount boards, and notices issued by elections officials with respect to the commencement and results of a
recount. If the votes subject to recount were cast or tabulated by a voting system, existing law requires that the voter requesting the recount, for each set of ballots cast or tabulated by a type of voting system, select whether the recount will be conducted manually or by means of the voting system used originally. Existing law allows only one method of recount to be used for all ballots cast or tabulated by the same type of voting system.
This bill would allow a voter requesting a recount to specify the order in which votes are recounted by the batch in which ballots were scanned or, in the case of a recount that involves more than one county, the order in which counties will conduct the recount within the jurisdiction. The bill would prohibit unauthorized access to the voting system in use by the elections office and impose other protections on access to a voter’s personal identifying information. The bill would require the requester to reimburse the county for
the cost of each member of a recount board. The bill would require that a member of a special recount board be eligible to register to vote in California if they are required to tally any ballots as part of their role on the board. The bill would set qualifications for an official appointed to supervise a special recount board. The bill would impose specified requirements for notices issued by elections officials. The bill would, if the recount is to be conducted manually and the voting system has the capability to display ballot images, require the voter requesting the recount to select whether the recount will be conducted by use of paper ballots or the official ballot images. If more than one voter requests a recount for the same office or measure and at least one request is for the recount to be conducted by use of paper ballots, the bill would require the county elections official to conduct only a manual recount of the paper ballots, the result of which would be controlling.
(3)This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 15621 of the Elections Code proposed by Assembly Bill 1513 to be operative only if this bill and Assembly Bill 1513 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
(4) By increasing the duties of local elections officials, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF