Elections: vote by mail ballots.

Existing law authorizes a vote by mail voter who is unable to return their ballot to designate any other person to return the ballot. This bill, during, or within 6 months of the suspension of, a duly proclaimed state of emergency or local emergency due to an epidemic or other contagious disease, including COVID-19, would only allow a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, or a person residing in the same household of the voter to be designated to return a voter's vote by mail ballot, and, except as provided, would prohibit the return of vote by mail ballots by a paid or volunteer worker of a campaign or political party or any other group or organization at whose behest the individual designated to return the ballot is performing a service. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.