Elections: vote by mail ballots.

Existing law requires that all vote by mail ballots be received by the elections official from whom they were obtained or by the precinct board no later than the close of the polls on election day. Existing law, notwithstanding that provision, provides that a vote by mail ballot is timely cast if it is received by the voter's elections official via the United States Postal Service or a bona fide private mail delivery company no later than 3 days after election day and either (1) the ballot is postmarked on or before election day or is time stamped or date stamped by a bona fide private mail delivery company on or before election day, or (2) if the ballot has no postmark, a postmark with no date, or an illegible postmark, the vote by mail ballot identification envelope is date stamped by the elections official upon receipt of the vote by mail ballot from the United States Postal Service or a bona fide private mail delivery company, and is signed and dated by the voter, as specified, on or before election day. This bill would instead provide that a vote by mail ballot is timely cast if it is received by the voter's elections official via the United States Postal Service no later than 3 days after election day and the ballot is postmarked on or before election day. The bill would also provide that a vote by mail ballot cast by a military or overseas voter is timely cast if it is received by the voter's elections official no later than 3 days after election day and the ballot is postmarked by a certified foreign postal service on or before election day.