Vote-by-mail ballots: signature verification.

Existing law sets forth procedures for processing vote by mail ballots and requires that a county elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, compare the signature on the vote by mail ballot's identification envelope with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration or the signature on the voter's application for a vote by mail ballot, as specified. This bill would revise and recast these provisions and would provide that a county elections official would also be permitted to compare the signature on the identification envelope with the signature appearing on a form issued by an elections official that contains the voter's signature, that is part of the voter's registration record, and that the elections official has determined meets specified criteria. Existing law sets forth procedures for voting by military or overseas voters, as defined, and permits a military or overseas voter to return his or her ballot by facsimile transmission, accompanied by an oath of voter declaration that includes the voter's signature. Existing law requires that a county elections official, upon receiving the ballot of a military or overseas voter returned by facsimile transmission, compare the signature on the oath of voter declaration with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration. This bill would provide that a county elections official would also be permitted to compare the signature on the oath of voter declaration with the signature appearing on the form issued by the elections official that is described above.