Elections: petition records and requests: vote-by-mail ballot.

(1) Existing law authorizes a voter who has signed an initiative, referendum, or recall petition to remove their name from the petition by filing a written request to do so with the appropriate elections official prior to the day the petition is filed. Existing law requires the written request to include the voter's name, residence address, and signature. This bill would additionally require the written request to remove the voter's name from the petition to include the name or title of the petition. (2) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to verify the signature on the identification envelope by comparing it with the voter's signature appearing on specified voter registration records. Existing law requires the elections official, if the signatures do not compare or if the voter fails to sign the identification envelope, to allow a voter to verify the voter's signature by signing and returning an unsigned ballot statement, as provided. This bill would replace references to "unsigned ballot statement" with references to "unsigned identification envelope statement." (3) Existing law governs the retention and preservation of election records, including recall petitions. Existing law requires the elections official or, in the case of the recall of a state officer, the Secretary of State, to preserve in that person's office all recall petitions filed for 8 months after the results of the election for which the petition qualified or, if no election is held, 8 months after the elections official's final examination of the petition. This bill would require elections officials to preserve all recall petitions, including recall petitions for the recall of a state officer. By requiring elections officials to preserve all recall petitions, thereby imposing a higher level of service on local government, this 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.