Elections: official canvass.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about penalties or exact impacts on election completion times.

Elections: Shortening Ballot Counting and Reporting Deadlines

This law changes how quickly election results must be counted and reported, reducing deadlines for elections officials to count ballots and report results.

What This Bill Does

• Reduces the time elections officials have to count all ballots from 30 days to 10 days.
• Shortens the deadline for sending election results to the Secretary of State from 31 days to 11 days.
• Requires the Secretary of State to prepare and file a statement of the vote within 2 days after receiving results from county officials.

Who It Names or Affects

• Elections officials who must count ballots faster.
• The Secretary of State who needs to file statements quickly.
• Local agencies and school districts that might need extra money if they have new tasks.

Terms To Know

canvass

The process of counting all ballots received in an election.

mandated local program

A state requirement that forces local agencies to do something, often with extra funding from the state.

Limits and Unknowns

• It is not clear how much faster elections will actually be completed.
• The bill does not specify if there are any penalties for missing these new deadlines.
• Local agencies and school districts might need more money to meet the new requirements, but this depends on a state commission's decision.

Official Summary Text

SB 407, as introduced, Choi.
Elections: official canvass.
Existing law requires the official canvass of all ballots received in an election to commence no later than the Thursday following the election and to continue daily, except on weekends and holidays, for not less than 6 hours each day until completed. Existing law requires elections officials to prepare a certified statement of the results of the election within 30 days of the election and to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results within 31 days of the election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than the 38th day after the election.
This bill would reduce those deadlines to 10 days for counting all ballots and preparing the certified statement of the results of the election, and 11 days for sending the Secretary of State a complete copy of all
election results. The bill would require the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than 2 days after receiving election results from all county elections officials. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, this bill would impose 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

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