Voting.

(1) Under existing law, a candidate may have a ballot designation appear on the ballot immediately under his or her name, as prescribed. If the candidate chooses a ballot designation, he or she must submit to the county elections official a ballot designation worksheet with his or her declaration of candidacy. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. (2) Existing law permits a candidate for local nonpartisan elective office to prepare a candidate's statement. The elections official is required to send to the voters, together with the sample ballot, a voter's pamphlet which contains the written statement of each candidate that is prepared pursuant to these provisions. The local agency may estimate the total cost of producing and processing the candidate's statement, and may require each candidate filing a statement to pay in advance to the local agency his or her pro rata share of that estimate. Existing law states that the elections official is not bound by that estimate and may, on a pro rata basis, bill the candidate for additional actual expense or refund any excess paid depending on the final actual cost. In the event of an underpayment, the elections official may require the candidate to pay the balance of the cost incurred, and in the event of an overpayment, the elections official shall prorate the excess amount among the candidates and refund the excess amount paid within 30 days of the election. The bill would instead shift the authority to bill the candidate for additional actual expenses and the obligation to refund any overpayment to the candidate from the elections official to the local agency that produced the estimated cost. The bill also would delete an obsolete provision relating to the filing of a candidate's statement by a candidate for judicial office. (3) Existing law provides procedures pertaining to "absentee ballots." The bill would change statutory references to "absentee ballots" to references to "vote by mail ballots."