Elections: ballots and the Green Party.

(1) Upon receipt of a vote by mail ballot and to determine if the signatures compare, existing law requires an elections official to compare the signature on the identification envelope with either (A) the signature appearing on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter, or (B) 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 compares with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter. If the signatures do not compare, existing law requires the identification envelope to not be opened, the ballot to not be counted, and the cause of the rejection to be written on the face of the identification envelope. This bill would strike the requirement that an elections official, in comparing the signatures on the identification envelope, as described in (B) above, determine that the signature appearing on a form issued by the elections official that contains the voter's signature compares with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter. If an elections official determines that a voter has failed to sign the identification envelope, the bill would prohibit the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter signs the identification envelope at the elections official's office before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election, completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement to a polling place within the county or a ballot dropoff box before the close of the polls on election day. The bill would require the elections official to accept any completed unsigned ballot statement. The bill would require the elections official, upon receipt of the unsigned ballot statement, to compare the voter's signature on the statement, as described above, and, if the signatures compare, would require the elections official to attach the statement to the identification envelope and deposit the ballot, still in the identification envelope, in a ballot container in his or her office. The bill would require the identification envelope to not be opened and the ballot to not be counted if the elections official determines that the signatures do not compare. The bill would also require an elections official to include the unsigned ballot statement and instructions, and certain contact information, on his or her Internet Web site. By requiring elections officials to take additional actions related to vote by mail ballots, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides for specific procedures by which the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party participate in the presidential primary. This bill would establish the procedures by which the Green Party would participate in the presidential primary. Existing law authorizes the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party to each elect county central committees. Existing law establishes state central committees for the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party. This bill would authorize the Green Party to establish, by election, county councils. The bill would also establish a state coordinating committee for the Green Party. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3019 of the Elections Code, proposed by AB 1020, that would become operative only if AB 1020 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. (4) 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.