Elections: vote by mail ballots.

(1) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to compare the signature on the identification envelope of the ballot to specified records of the voter's signature. If the signature does not compare, existing law requires the elections official, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, to provide the voter with notice of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and delivering a signature verification statement to the elections official, as specified. If the elections official determines that the voter has not signed the ballot identification envelope, existing law prohibits the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter either signs the ballot identification envelope at the office of the elections official during regular business hours, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election. This bill would, in the case of a voter whose signatures do not match, require the elections official to notify the voter, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature. It would extend the deadline for a voter who did not sign the ballot identification envelope to sign the envelope, or sign and deliver an unsigned ballot statement, to no later than 5 p.m. 2 days before the certification of the election. (2) Existing law provides that certain information on a voter's affidavit of registration, including the voter's home address and signature, is confidential and prohibits disclosure of the information except in specified circumstances. This bill would require information regarding voters who did not sign a vote by mail ballot identification envelope, or whose signature on the vote by mail ballot identification envelope did not match the voter's signature on file, to also be treated as confidential and would prohibit disclosure of the information except in specified circumstances. The bill would require any disclosure of the information to be accompanied by a specified notice relating to misuse of the information. Because the bill would impose additional duties on a local elections official, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.