Elections

Significant elections legislation enacted includes: SB 39 (Murray) allowing permanent absentee voters to miss two consecutive statewide elections, rather than one, before losing their permanent absentee voter status; SB 316 (Margett) requiring state agencies to make election information available to prospective voters; SB 370 (Bowen) requiring election officials to use the paper receipts produced by electronic voting equipment when performing a manual tally or recount; SB 443 (Senate Elections and Reapportionment Committee) prohibiting a person from filing nomination papers for more than one district office or term of office for the same district at the same election; SB 1016 (Bowen) requiring the Secretary of State, and local elections officials, to inform voters of the permissible uses of information supplied on voter registration affidavits; AB 582 (Matthews) prohibiting candidates and political committees from sending unsolicited text messages advertising to a cell phone, pager, or two-way messaging device; AB 783 (Jones) requiring the state to pay expenses related to the special election to fill the vacancies for the California Legislature, and the Congress and the Senate of the United States, until January 1, 2006; AB 1636 (Umberg) placing into statute several security directions by former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley dealing with elections voting; and AB 1741 (Assembly Judiciary Committee) banning the international outsourcing of voter and petitioner information.

Significant elections legislation vetoed by the Governor includes: SB 469 (Bowen) requiring persons circulating initiative petitions to list the five largest contributors to the ballot measure, updating the list weekly and indicating whether signature gatherers are volunteers or paid workers; SB 1050 (Bowen) requiring that election officials count write-in votes when a voter’s intent was clear, even if the voter did not darken the bubble next to the candidate’s name; AB 215 (Oropeza) requiring the Secretary of State to print the Code of Fair Campaign Practices in the state ballot pamphlet; AB 738 (Nation) requiring every person who receives pay for circulating an initiative, referendum, or recall petition to wear a badge stating that he/she is a paid signature gatherer; AB 739 (Nation) requiring the disclosure of certain payments made for an issue advocacy communication that is broadcast within 45 days of an election and that identifies a candidate for local office; AB 866 (Yee) adding to the Code of Fair Political Practices a pledge that an individual running for office will not use or permit any appeal to negative prejudice based on sexual orientation or gender identity; AB 938 (Umberg) requiring that general purpose committees file within 10 days each time they spent $10,000 or more to support or oppose a ballot measure; and AB 1096 (Umberg) expanding the list of persons authorized to pick up and/or deliver an absentee ballot.