Conditional voter registration: provisional ballots.

Existing law authorizes an elector who is otherwise qualified to register to vote to complete a conditional voter registration and cast a provisional ballot during the 14 days immediately preceding an election or on election day, as prescribed. A county elections official is required to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at all permanent offices of the county elections official in the county in accordance with specified procedures. Existing law also permits the county elections official to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at satellite offices of the county elections office. This bill would specifically require, rather than permit, the county elections official to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at all satellite offices of the county elections official and all polling places in the county. If the elections official is able to determine a conditionally registered voter's precinct, and the ballot for that precinct is available, the bill would require the elections official to provide the voter with a ballot for the voter's precinct. If the elections official is unable to determine the conditionally registered voter's precinct, or a ballot for the precinct is unavailable, the bill would require the elections official to provide the voter with a ballot and inform the voter that only the votes for the candidates and measures on which the voter would be entitled to vote in the voter's assigned precinct may be counted. By requiring county elections officials to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at all satellite offices and all polling places, and by imposing additional duties on elections officials with respect to provisional ballots, this bill would create 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. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2170 of the Elections Code proposed by AB 693 to be operative only if this bill and AB 693 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.