Remote accessible vote by mail systems.

(1) Existing law requires a county elections official to permit any voter to cast a ballot using a certified remote accessible vote by mail system. Existing law prescribes standards and procedures for the Secretary of State to certify remote accessible vote by mail systems. Existing law prescribes standards and procedures for an elections official to compare a voter's signature submitted with the voter's vote by mail ballot to a signature in the voter's registration record. This bill would require a county elections official to permit a voter with a qualifying disability, as defined, to use a certified remote accessible vote by mail system that enables the voter to return a completed ballot electronically. The bill would permit the Secretary of State to certify this type of remote accessible vote by mail system and to develop procedures for a voter using the system to submit a signature electronically. (2) Existing law imposes various restrictions on voting systems, generally, including that no part of the voting system shall be connected to the internet at any time. Existing law specifically prohibits a remote accessible vote by mail system from having the capability to use a remote server to mark a voter's selection transmitted to the server from the voter's computer via the internet, to store any voter identifiable selections on any remote server, or to tabulate votes. This bill would exempt the aforementioned remote accessible vote by mail system from these prohibitions only if, and to the extent that, these features are necessary for the operation of the system. By imposing additional duties on county elections officials, 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.