Voting procedures: natural disasters.

Existing law designates the Secretary of State as the chief elections officer of the state and requires him or her to study and adopt regulations governing the use of voting machines, voting devices, vote tabulating devices, and ballot marking systems. Existing law also establishes procedures for the marking and counting of ballots in the case of electrical failure or other emergency. This bill would make legislative findings relating to natural disasters outside California and their effect on a state resident's ability to vote. The bill would, upon the declaration of an out-of-state emergency by the Governor and the issuance of an executive order authorizing an out-of-state emergency worker, as defined, to cast a ballot outside of his or her home precinct, require a county elections official to issue an out-of-state emergency worker a vote by mail ballot upon that worker's request. By imposing a new duty on local officials, the 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 these statutory provisions.