Elections: polling places: college and university campuses.

Existing law requires the Secretary of State to annually provide every high school, community college, and California State University and University of California campus with voter registration forms. Existing law also expresses the intent of the Legislature that every eligible high school and college student receive a meaningful opportunity to register to vote. Existing law authorizes certain counties, on or after specified dates, to conduct any election as an all-mailed ballot election if, among other conditions, the county elections official permits a voter to vote a ballot at a vote center. Existing law requires a county elections official conducting an all-mailed ballot election to consider various factors in determining the location of vote centers. This bill would direct a county elections official conducting an all-mailed ballot election to consider vote center location on a public or private university or college campus. Existing law requires, upon the request of a local elections official, that the governing body having jurisdiction over a school building or other public building allow the school to be used as a polling place or vote center, under specified conditions. This bill would expand the definition of "public building" for purposes of that provision to include buildings owned or controlled by community college districts, the California State University, and the University of California, and it would also clarify that the University of California is encouraged, but not required, to comply with such a request. Because this bill would impose additional duties on local officials, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 4005 of the Elections Code proposed by AB 49 to be operative only if this bill and AB 49 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 the statutory provisions noted above.