Elections and Reapportionment

Political Reform
Elections
Redistricting

Political Reform

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SB 18 (Blakeslee-R) Political Reform Act: gifts

Prohibits a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer from making to an elected state official, and an elected state official from receiving from a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbying employer, specified gifts, regardless of the value of the gift.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

A similar bill is SB 50 (Correa-D) which is in the Assembly Rules Committee.

SB 19 (Blakeslee-R) Political Reform Act: automated campaign telephone calls

Makes it unlawful for any person to make an automated campaign telephone call, as defined, to any person who has elected to have his/her name and telephone number placed on the California Political Robocall Do Not Call List, which this bill requires the Secretary of State to establish, manage, and maintain.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 31 (Correa-D) Lobbyist registration: local government

Enacts a comprehensive scheme to regulate lobbying entities, as defined, that lobby local government agencies, including requirements to register and make periodic reports regarding certain lobbying activities. Requires each local government agency to create a commission to implement and enforce the provisions of this bill.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

SB 46* (Correa-D) Political Reform Act: public officials compensation

Requires every designated employee and other person, except a candidate for public office, who is required to file a statement of economic interests to include, as a part of that filing, a compensation disclosure form that provides compensation information for the preceding calendar year, as specified. Requires each agency to post on that agency's Internet Web site the information contained on the compensation disclosure form filed by a person required to file a statement of economic interests or a designated employee, and the written policy for the reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses.
(Held at the Assembly Desk)

SB 50 (Correa-D) Political Reform Act: lobbyist employers: gifts

Prohibits a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer from giving to an elected state officer or a member of that officer's immediate family, and prohibits an elected state officer from accepting from a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer, certain gifts, including tickets to specified venues and events, spa treatments, recreational trips, and gift cards. However, these prohibitions would not apply to a fundraising event for a bona fide charitable organization.
(In Assembly Rules Committee)

A similar bill is SB 18 (Blakeslee-R) which is in Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 439 (Negrete McLeod-D) STRS: Political Reform Act: gifts

Prohibits any member of the board of, and any designated employee of, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) or California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) from accepting gifts in any calendar year with a total value of more than $50 from any single person who has secured a contract with, or submitted a contract proposal to, CalPERS or CalSTRS within the previous five years. A gift would not be deemed to have been accepted if the gift or its equivalent dollar value is returned to the donor of the gift within 30 days after receipt of the gift.
Vetoed

SB 488 (Correa-D) Political Reform Act: slate mailers

Provides that, if a slate mailer organization sends a slate mailer or other mass mailing that displays a logo, insignia, emblem, or trademark that is identical or substantially similar to the logo, insignia, emblem, or trademark of a governmental agency or a nongovernmental organization that represents law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical, or other public safety personnel, and that would reasonably be understood to imply the participation or endorsement of that governmental agency or nongovernmental organization, the slate mailer organization would be required to obtain the express written consent of the governmental agency or nongovernmental organization associated with the logo, insignia, emblem, or trademark prior to using the logo, insignia, emblem, or trademark in the slate mailer or other mass mailing.
(Failed passage on Senate Unfinished Business File)

SB 593 (Gaines-R) Political Reform Act of 1974: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

Provides that a court shall not invalidate, and the Fair Political Practices Commission shall not seek to invalidate, an action of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) as a remedy for a violation of the requirements of this bill by a California member of the TRPA.
Chapter 152, Statutes of 2011

SB 801 (Kehoe-D) Political Reform Act: statement of economic interest

Requires that persons appointed to a state board, commission, or similar multimember body of their original statements of economic interest with their agencies which shall retain the original and forward a copy to the Fair Political Practices Commission.
Chapter 252, Statutes of 2011

AB 41 (Hill-D) Political Reform Act: High-Speed Rail Authority

Requires a member of the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) who has a financial interest in a decision before the HSRA to publicly identify the financial interest that gives rise to the conflict of interest, to recuse himself/herself from discussing or voting on the matter, and to leave the room until after disposition of the matter is concluded. Expands the information that a member of the HSRA must disclose on a statement of economic interests. Requires HSRA board members to report ex parte communications in certain circumstances.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 71 (Huber-D) Political Reform Act: lobbyists disclosure

Requires the Secretary of State to create a report each calendar quarter that identifies the bills that were lobbied during the prior calendar quarter and the lobbyist employers who lobbied on each of those bills.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 148 (Smyth-R) Political reform: local government officials

Requires a local agency to post the ethics training records of those members of the local agency who are elected on the local agency's Internet Web site, if any, and to submit a copy to the State Controller within 90 days of receiving the records.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 182 (Davis-D) Political reform: statements of economic interest

Allows participants in a pilot project that permits the electronic filing of a statement of economic interests (SEI) to continue to receive electronic filings of SEIs during the 2012 calendar year while the Legislature reviews the results of the pilot project. Extends the end date of a pilot project that allows Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, and Ventura counties and the City of Long Beach to permit SEIs to be filed electronically from 1/1/12 to 12/31/12.
Chapter 96, Statutes of 2011

AB 447 (Huffman-D) Political Reform Act: disclosure filing

Establishes a framework for the development of a statewide electronic campaign disclosure filing system, as specified.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 785 (Mendoza-D) Political reform: public officials actions

Prohibits a state or local elected or appointed official from making, participating in making, or using their position to influence a governmental action of an immediate family member of the public official has a financial interest in the decision.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 860 (Jones-R) Political reform: contributions

Prohibits payroll deductions from being made if the money deducted will be used for political purposes. Prohibits corporations, labor unions, and government contractors from making campaign contributions in certain circumstances.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 873 (Furutani-D) Political Reform Act: postgovernment employment

Prohibits individuals serving in senior investment and key executive positions of the California Public Employees' Retirement System or California State Teachers' Retirement System from influencing the actions of their respective retirement boards or retirement systems on behalf of any person, other than the state, within two years after leaving that position, as specified.
Chapter 551, Statutes of 2011

AB 1146 (Norby-R) Political reform: contribution limits

Increases the threshold at which contribution and expenditures are required to be disclosed on campaign reports from $100 to $200.
(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 1148 (Brownley-D) Political reform: advertisements disclosure

Requires that a candidate or ballot measure appearing in a slate mailer be designated by an asterisk if the slate mailer organization or committee primarily formed to support or oppose one or more ballot measures that is sending the slate mailer has received payment to include the candidate or ballot measure in the slate mailer. Places certain disclosure requirements on radio or television advertisements authorized by a candidate or the candidate's agents that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or that solicit any contribution for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, as specified.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 1241 (Norby-R) Political reform: contributions

Exempts officials who are elected to local and state agencies from provisions of state law limiting contributions to those officials from entities with business before the agency involving a license, permit, or other entitlement for use.
(On Senate Inactive File)

Elections

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SB 5 (Harman-R) Initiatives

Provides that the proponent of a state initiative statute or constitutional amendment that has been approved by the voters would have the right to intervene and participate in any court action challenging the constitutionality of the initiative statute or constitutional amendment.
(Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 66* (Vargas-D) Imperial County registrar of voters

Allows the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to appoint a registrar of voters separate from the county clerk.
Chapter 22, Statutes of 2011

SB 88 (Yee-D) Elections: names of candidates

Requires a candidate's alphabet-based name to be phonetically transliterated when the jurisdiction is required to translate ballot materials into languages other than English unless certain conditions are met.
Vetoed

SB 106* (Blakeslee-R) Special elections

Provides that expenses authorized and necessarily incurred on or after 1/1/09, and before 4/19/11, for elections proclaimed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in the office of a Senator or Member of the Assembly, or to fill a vacancy in the office of United States Senator or Member of the United States House of Representatives, shall be paid by the state.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

A similar bill is SB 141 (Price-D) which is in Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 109* (Gaines-R) Vote by mail: special elections

Authorizes a small county with a population of 400,000 or less to conduct a special election to fill a vacancy in a legislative body or governing body, or any special election called by the Governor, wholly by all-mail ballot, subject to the same conditions currently imposed on small cities and other eligible entities.
(Failed passage in Senate Election and Constitutional Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 141 (Price-D) Elections: payment of expenses

Provides that expenses authorized and necessarily incurred for elections proclaimed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in the office of State Senator or Assembly Member, or to fill a vacancy in the office of United States Senator or Representative in the Congress, are to be paid by the state. When an election proclaimed by the Governor is consolidated with a local election, provides that the state shall pay only those additional expenses directly related to the election proclaimed by the Governor.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

A similar bill is SB 106 (Blakeslee-R) which is in Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 168 (Corbett-D) Petitions: compensation for signatures

Provides that it is a misdemeanor for a person to pay or to receive money or any other thing of value based on the number of signatures obtained on a state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition and prescribes penalties for doing so.
Vetoed

SB 183 (Correa-D) Ballots: identifying information

Prohibits a voter from placing personal information, as defined, on a ballot if the information identifies the voter, and provides that a ballot that contains personal information is not invalid.
Chapter 739, Statutes of 2011

SB 199 (Correa-D) Elections: vote by mail ballots

Allows a voter to return a vote by mail ballot to any polling place in the state, and in the case of a vote by mail ballot returned to a precinct located in a county other than the county of the elections official who issued the ballot, and requires the elections official of the precinct at which the ballot is returned to forward the ballot to the elections official who issued the ballot.
Vetoed

SB 202 (Hancock-D) Elections: ballot measures

Requires all future initiatives and referendums to be placed on November general elections and requires the Secretary of State to submit ACA 4 (Gatto-D), Resolution Chapter 174, Statues of 2010, at the 11/4/14 statewide general election instead of the 2012 statewide presidential election.
Chapter 558, Statutes of 2011

SB 205 (Correa-D) Voter registration: paid registration activities

Prohibits a person from paying another person or receiving payment for registering voters if that payment is on a per-affidavit basis and makes it a misdemeanor for violating this bill.
Vetoed

SB 304 (Kehoe-D) All-mailed ballot elections: San Diego

Allows elections in San Diego County to be conducted wholly by mail until 1/1/16, if specified conditions are satisfied. If San Diego County conducts an all-mailed ballot election, requires the county, on or before 12/31/16, to report to the Legislature and to the Secretary of State regarding the success of the election, as specified.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

SB 327 (Senate Elections And Constitutional Amendments Committee) Elections: procedure

Clarifies that the text of a local proposed measure will not be required to be published or posted. Requires the verified statement of a candidate to include a statement indicating his/her residence. Revises the deadline when nomination papers are to be filed by.
Chapter 248, Statutes of 2011

SB 334 (DeSaulnier-D) State ballot pamphlet

Requires the state ballot pamphlet to contain information regarding the largest contributors supporting and opposing each state measure that will appear on the ballot.
Vetoed

SB 337 (Kehoe-D) Tenancy: political signs

Prohibits a landlord from prohibiting a tenant from posting or displaying political signs relating to an election or legislative vote, the initiative, referendum, or recall process, or issues before a public body for a vote, except under certain circumstances. Requires a tenant to comply with the time period established by the local ordinance for the posting and removal of political signs or, in the absence of those provisions, by reasonable time limits, as specified, established by the landlord.
Chapter 383, Statutes of 2011

SB 348 (Correa-D) Elections: vote by mail ballots

Provides that all vote-by-mail ballots, including special absentee voter ballots, will be counted if they are postmarked on a before elections day and received by the voters election officials no later than six days after election day.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 397 (Yee-D) Online voter registration

Permits online voter registration to begin prior to the completion of a new statewide voter registration database, if certain conditions are met. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Secretary of State (SOS) to develop a process and the infrastructure to allow the electronic copy of the signature of a person who is registering to vote to be transferred to the SOS and to county election management systems to allow a person who is qualified to register to vote in California to register to vote electronically on the Internet Web site of the SOS.
Chapter 561, Statutes of 2011

SB 441 (Vargas-D) Elections: contributions

Repeals existing law which permits the county central committee of each qualified political party to supply county elections officials with party contribution envelopes or letters, as specified, to be included with the mailing of the sample ballot to each of the registered voters who indicated the same political party affiliation.
Chapter 563, Statutes of 2011

SB 448 (DeSaulnier-D) Elections: petition circulation compensation

Requires an individual who receives compensation to circulate an initiative, referendum, or recall petition to wear a badge stating, in no smaller than 30-point font print, that he/she is a "paid signature gatherer." Requires the individual circulating the initiative, referendum, or recall petition to wear the badge on his/her chest in clear view of all individuals signing or asked to sign the petition.
Vetoed

SB 641 (Calderon-D) Voter registration

Allows a person to register to vote and to vote at the office of a county elections official any time between 14 days before election day and up to and including election day, if certain requirements are met.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 802 (Runner-R) Elections: voting

Requires that the identification envelope for returning a vote by mail ballot include the last four digits of the voter's California driver's license or identification card number or, if unavailable, the last four digits of the voter's social security number and a security flap to conceal the voter's information during mailing. Requires the elections official to verify the accuracy of that information before counting the vote. Requires that a vote by mail ballot of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is stationed outside of the United States be cast by election day and received by elections officials no later than 21 days after election day. Requires a person who desires to vote to show specified proof of identity. Allows a person who does not have proof of identity to vote a provisional ballot after completing an affidavit under penalty of perjury that he/she is a registered voter. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to waive the fee for an identification card requested for satisfying the voter identification requirement.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

SB 908 (Runner-R) Elections: ballots: electronic mail

Permits a special absentee voter who is temporarily living outside of the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia, or is called for military services within the United States on or after the final date to make application for a vote by absent voter ballot, to return his/her ballot by electronic mail, as prescribed. Requires the ballot to be accompanied by a copy of an identification envelope and an oath of voter declaration in substantially the form described with respect to facsimile transmission of ballots. Requires the elections official to determine the voter's eligibility to vote by comparing the signature on the scanned copy of the identification envelope with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration.
(Failed passage in Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee; reconsideration granted)

SCA 4 (DeSaulnier-D) Initiative measures: funding source

Prohibits an initiative measure that would result in a net increase in state or local government costs other than costs attributable to the issuance, sale, or repayment of bonds, from being submitted to the electors or having any effect unless and until the Legislative Analyst and the Director of the Department of Finance jointly determine that the initiative measure provides for additional revenues in an amount that meets or exceeds the net increase in costs.
(On Senate Third Reading File)

SCA 9 (Hancock-D) Initiatives revision

Applies the provisions that authorize direct amendment or repeal by the Legislature as permitted by an initiative statute only to initiative statutes approved by the voters on or before its effective date. As to an initiative statute that is approved by the voters after that effective date, authorizes the Legislature to directly amend or repeal the initiative statute not sooner than three years after the date the initiative statute is approved by the voters, unless the initiative statute allows that action by the Legislature at an earlier date. Requires that a direct amendment or repeal of an initiative statute by the Legislature pursuant to this authority be passed by a percentage of the membership of each house that exceeds the percentage of voters who approved the initiative statute or, if applicable, that approved the most recent amendment of the initiative statute.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

SCA 16 (Wyland-R) Initiatives revision

Revises the procedure for proposing an initiative measure. Requires the text of the proposed initiative measure to be submitted to the Attorney General. Requires the Attorney General to prepare a circulating title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure, and provides a copy thereof to the Secretary of State (SOS). Requires the SOS to immediately notify the proponents of the initiative measure of the date upon which the SOS received a copy of the circulating title and summary. Allows the proponents two years from the date the SOS received a copy of the circulating title and summary to present to the SOS a petition that sets forth the text of the proposed measure and is signed by the required number of electors.
(In Senate Rules Committee)

SCR 58 (La Malfa-R) California's initiative history

Commemorates the 100-year anniversary of California's initiative process.
(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 65 (Gatto-D) Elections: statewide ballot pamphlet

Requires a specified disclaimer to be included in the summary statement prepared by the Legislative Analyst for proposed initiative measures that provide new revenues for new or existing programs, as specified.
Vetoed

AB 80 (Fong-D) Presidential primary: election date

Changes the date of the presidential primary election to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June of presidential election years and consolidates the presidential primary election with the statewide direct primary election.
Chapter 138, Statutes of 2011

AB 84 (Fong-D) Elections: new citizens

Allows a "new citizen," as defined, to register and vote until the close of polls on Election Day. Defines a "new citizen" as an individual who becomes a United States citizen after the 15th day prior to an election. Allows a new citizen to register and vote at the office of, or at another location designated by, the county elections official at any time beginning on the 14th day before an election and ending at the close of polls on Election Day.
Chapter 186, Statutes of 2011

AB 93* (Lara-D) Elections: City of Bell

Establishes an alternate procedure for the declaration of election results for, and the installation of officers elected at, the 3/8/11, municipal election in the City of Bell.
Chapter 1, Statutes of 2011

AB 193 (Knight-R) Polling place designation

Prohibits a polling place from being designated at a single-family residence where a registered sex offender resides, and requires elections officials to consult the Megan's Law sex offenders' database maintained by the Department of Justice not more than 60 days prior to designating a single-family residence as a polling place.
Chapter 137, Statutes of 2011

AB 218 (Wieckowski-D) Special election: estate and sales tax

Calls for a special election to (1) repeal the initiative measure that prohibits the imposition of the estate tax, and (2) enact a partial sales and use tax exemption for purchases of qualified tangible personal property by persons engaged in manufacturing and software production, as specified.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 293 (Hill-D) Vote by mail ballots

Requires the local elections official to establish a free access system by which a vote by mail voter may find out whether his/her ballot was counted and, if not, the reason why it was not counted,
Vetoed

AB 346 (Atkins-D) Polling places: higher education campuses

Requires county elections officials to establish at least one polling place for each state election on a campus of a community college, the California State University (CSU), or the University of California (UC) within their respective counties. Exempts from these requirements counties with a population under 150,000 and counties that do not have a CSU, UC, or community college campus within its jurisdiction.
(Failed passage in Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 362 (Bonnie Lowenthal-D) Elections: write-in candidate

Requires a write-in candidate for any of several specified local offices to include a declaration on the statement of write-in candidacy that he/she satisfies the eligibility requirements for that office and revises the number of signatures required on a petition for a write-in campaign for superior court judge.
Chapter 214, Statutes of 2011

AB 413 (Yamada-D) Elections: all-mailed ballot

Allows, as a pilot program, until 12/31/17, elections in Yolo County, other than statewide primary or general elections or special elections to fill a vacancy in a state office, the Legislature, or Congress, to be conducted wholly by mail if specified conditions are satisfied. Requires the county to report on these elections to the Legislature and the Secretary of State, as specified, if an election is conducted wholly by mail pursuant to this authority.
Chapter 187, Statutes of 2011

AB 435 (Wagner-R) Elections: nonpartisan office

Places specific restrictions on the contents of a candidate's statement for a candidate for a nonpartisan elective office in any local agency, and requires additional information be included in a county's voter's pamphlet regarding candidates' statements.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 459 (Hill-D) Electoral college: interstate compact

Ratifies the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote, an interstate compact whereby the state agrees to award its electoral votes to the Presidential ticket that received the most popular votes nationwide, if certain conditions are met.
Chapter 188, Statutes of 2011

AB 461 (Bonilla-D) Write-in candidates

Provides that in the event of a manual recount conducted pursuant to state law, provisions of the law governing the counting of write-in votes shall be construed to ensure that each ballot is counted if the intent of the voter can be determined, regardless of whether the voter has complied with the voting instructions.
Chapter 189, Statutes of 2011

AB 477 (Valadao-R) Elections: vote by mail ballots

Provides that special absentee voter ballots will be counted if they are postmarked on or before elections day and received by the voter's elections official no later than 10 days after election day.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 481 (Gordon-D) Petitions: signature gatherers

Requires a person who is collecting petition signatures to wear a badge indicating whether he/she is a paid signature gatherer or a volunteer signature gatherer, and requires similar information be disclosed on any state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition.
(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 503 (Block-D) Processing write-in votes

Requires an elections official, upon the request of a qualified write-in candidate, to hand tally the votes for the write-in candidate, as specified. If an elections official conducts a hand tally, requires the elections official to include the results in the official canvass of the election.
Chapter 190, Statutes of 2011

AB 547 (Gatto-D) Voting by seniors

Makes it a misdemeanor for a care provider in a state-licensed facility to coerce an elder into voting for or against a candidate or measure contrary to the elder's intent.
Chapter 260, Statutes of 2011

AB 651 (Hueso-D) Initiatives: paid circulators

Requires a firm that engages in the business of paying individuals to circulate petitions and gather signatures for state or local ballot initiatives to register with the Secretary of State (SOS) and pay a registration fee to be established by the SOS. Failure to register is to be punishable by a fine, as specified. Requires the SOS to use the fees collected to maintain a directory of these firms on its Internet Web site, as well as to defray costs associated with other requirements of this bill, as specified.
Vetoed

AB 663 (Morrell-R) Elections: voter identification

Requires a person desiring to vote to produce and show proof of identification, as defined, to the precinct worker at the polling place. Provides for a voter to cast a provisional ballot if the voter declines to provide, or is otherwise unable to provide, sufficient proof of identification. Provides exemptions from the requirement to provide proof of identification for voters residing in state-licensed care facilities that are used as polling places, vote by mail and special absentee voters who cast their ballots by mail, and voters who establish a religious objection to being photographed. Provides that, for purposes of complying with the proof of identification requirement, a registered voter could obtain a state-issued identification card from the Department of Motor Vehicles at no cost.
(Failed passage in Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 732 (Buchanan-D) Ballot pamphlet: bond measures

Requires the Attorney General's summary prepared in the state voter pamphlet for each state bond measure to include an explanatory table summarizing the Legislative Analyst's Office estimated fiscal impact of the bond measure. Double-jointed with SB 334 (DeSaulnier-D) and AB 1021 (Gordon-D).
Chapter 453, Statutes of 2011

AB 754 (Fletcher-R) Elective office: military service

Allows a person who is deployed on active military service outside the state to designate another person to file candidacy and nomination documents on the deployed person's behalf.
Chapter 57, Statutes of 2011

AB 867 (Swanson-D) Elections: vote by mail ballots

Allows a vote by mail (VBM) ballot to be picked up and dropped off by any authorized representative of the VBM voter, except a candidate or campaign worker.
(Failed passage in Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 896 (Portantino-D) Elections: voter registration

Permits a county elections official to accept voter registration affidavits that are signed with digital signatures and transmitted electronically.
(Failed passage in Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 945 (Donnelly-R) Elections: voting procedures

Requires that the identification envelope for returning a vote by mail ballot include a verification panel, concealed during mailing, setting forth the last four digits of the voter's California driver's license or identification card number or, if unavailable, the last four digits of the voter's social security number and a security flap that would conceal voter's identification information during mailing. Makes an exception from the deadline for returning a vote by mail ballot for specified members of the military stationed outside of the United States, instead requiring that their vote by mail ballot be postmarked on or before election day and received by their elections official not later than 21 days after election day. Requires a person desiring to vote to produce and show a valid form of state-issued photographic identification to the precinct worker at the polling place.
(Failed passage in Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 985 (Williams-D) Elections: official canvass

Allows elections officials to conduct a two-part public manual tally of ballots as part of the official canvass of an election in which a voting system is used, in lieu of conducting a public manual tally of the ballots cast in 1% of the precincts.
Chapter 52, Statutes of 2011

AB 1021 (Gordon-D) Ballot measures: fiscal analysis

Requires additional fiscal information be included in the circulating title and summary prepared by the Attorney General and the summary statements prepared by the Legislative Analyst for a proposed initiative measure. Double-jointed with AB 732 (Buchanan-D), Chapter 453, Statutes of 2011.
Vetoed

AB 1201 (Fong-D) Voter registration

Provides that a voter's registration-forwarded to the county elections official of the county in which the elector resides by a county elections official from a different county-is effective for all elections occurring 15 or more days, instead of 29 or more days, after receipt of the affidavit of registration by the county elections official.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

AB 1252 (Davis-D) Elections: Los Angeles Community College District

Establishes a separate procedure for the election of the trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District. Specifies that a candidate for election must reside in, and be registered to vote in, the trustee area he/she seeks to represent, as specified. Requires the governing board of each trustee area to set the boundaries of each trustee area before 3/1/12, to reflect the population enumerated in the federal 2010 decennial census. If the governing board fails to timely set the boundaries, then the county committee on school district organization shall do so before 4/30/12.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 1343 (Fong-D) Elections: vote by mail voters

Requires a voter's name to be deleted from the permanent vote by mail voter list if he/she fails to return a vote-by-mail ballot for four consecutive statewide general elections, instead of two consecutive statewide general elections.
Chapter 191, Statutes of 2011

AB 1344 (Feuer-D) Local elections: charter amendments

Among other provisions, clarifies that a charter or charter amendment proposed by a charter commission must be presented to the voters at least 95 days prior to an election.
Chapter 692, Statutes of 2011

AB 1357 (Swanson-D) Voter registration

Permits county elections officials to provide voter registration forms online and requires the Secretary of State to design and make available on his/her Internet Web site an affidavit of registration, as specified.
Chapter 192, Statutes of 2011

AB 1365 (Nielsen-R) Voter registration: information sharing

Requires a state agency, upon the request of the Secretary of State (SOS), to share with the SOS information the agency is required to generate that will assist the SOS in maintaining accurate lists of registered voters.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

AB 1412 (Assembly Elections And Redistricting Committee) Vote by mail

Changes the language used in three provisions of state law from "absent voter" to "vote by mail voter" to reflect a change in terminology, and corrects multiple obsolete and erroneous cross-references.
Chapter 118, Statutes of 2011

AB 1413 (Fong-D) Elections

Clarifies and strengthens existing law that states the domicile of a Member of the Legislature or a member of Congress shall be conclusively presumed to be at the residence address indicated on that person's currently filed affidavit of registration. Makes numerous technical and substantive changes to the "top two" primary law and other related statutes. Double-jointed with AB 362 (Lowenthal-D), Chapter 214, Statutes of 2011.
(In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee)

ACA 5 (Portantino-D) Initiatives: state finance reform

Prohibits an initiative measure from being submitted to the electors or from having any effect if the initiative measure appropriates state funds for any purpose in an amount exceeding the amount appropriated for that purpose for the 2004-05 fiscal year by more than $250,000 unless the measure provides for additional state revenue or offsetting savings in a total amount that is not less than the amount of the appropriation.
(In Assembly Budget Committee)

ACA 6 (Gatto-D) Initiative measures: funding source

Requires the Legislative Analyst to review an initiative measure not later than 15 days after its qualification for the ballot, and report the results of the review to the Secretary of State. Prohibits an initiative measure that the Legislative Analyst determines would result in a net increase in state or local government costs exceeding $5 million, other than costs attributable to the issuance, sale, or repayment of bonds, from being submitted to the electors or having any effect unless the Legislative Analyst determines that the initiative measure provides for additional revenues in an amount that meets or exceeds the net increase in costs.
(Failed passage on Assembly Floor)

ACA 7 (Feuer-D) Initiative measures: funding source

Prohibits an initiative measure that would result in a net increase in state or local government costs other than costs attributable to the issuance, sale, or repayment of bonds, from being submitted to the electors or having any effect unless and until the Legislative Analyst and the Director of the Department of Finance jointly determine that the initiative measure provides for additional revenues in an amount that meets or exceeds the net increase in costs.
(In Assembly Election and Redistricting Committee)

ACA 9 (Gatto-D) Initiative measures: supermajority requirement

Requires that an initiative that will increase the current vote requirement for an action by either the electors or by the Legislature, or would impose an extraordinary vote requirement for the amendment of an initiative statute by the Legislature without approval by the electors, itself receive the same affirmative vote percentage in order to be approved by the electors.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

ACA 10 (Gatto-D) Initiatives

Authorizes the Legislature to amend or repeal an initiative statute, effective four years or more after the date the initiative statute is approved by the voters, unless the initiative statute allows that action by the Legislature at an earlier date. Requires that an amendment or repeal of an initiative statute by the Legislature be passed by a percentage of the membership of each house that exceeds the percentage of voters that approved the initiative statute or, if applicable, that approved the most recent amendment of the initiative statute.
(In Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee)

ACA 11 (Gatto-D) Initiatives: constitutional amendments

Requires an initiative measure proposing to amend the State Constitution - except for a measure repealing a previously adopted amendment - to receive minimum 55% vote for approval by the voters. Provides that an initiative measure proposing to repeal a previously adopted constitutional amendment may be approved on a majority vote.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

ACA 12 (Gatto-D) Initiatives

Requires the Secretary of State to transmit a copy of an initiative measure certified for the ballot to each house of the Legislature no later than 176 days prior to the election at which the measure is to be voted upon. Within 30 days, allows the Legislature to propose an amended form of the initiative measure by adopting a concurrent resolution, as specified.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

ACA 19 (Allen-D) Initiatives

Establishes an indirect initiative process.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

Redistricting

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AB 420 (Davis-D) Redistricting: inmate residency criteria

Requests the Citizens Redistricting Commission, when adjusting district boundaries for state Legislature, the Board of Equalization, and the United States Congress, to deem an incarcerated person as residing at his/her last known residence, rather than the institution of his/her incarceration.
Chapter 548, Statutes of 2011

A similar resolution was ACR 21 (Davis-D) which was unassigned to a committee.

Index (in Bill Order)