Initiative, referendum, and recall petitions: signatures: voter notification.

Existing law authorizes voters to propose state and local laws by initiative and to approve or reject state or local laws by referendum. Existing law authorizes the recall of state and local officers in accordance with specified procedures. Under existing law, proponents may qualify an initiative, referendum, or recall for the ballot by filing a petition signed by a specified number of voters registered in the jurisdiction that would be subject to the initiative, referendum, or recall. Existing law requires elections officials to verify the signatures submitted on a petition by comparing them to any file or list of registered voters maintained by their office, or the facsimiles of voters' signatures, as specified. This bill would establish a process for a voter whose signature on a state, county, city, or district initiative, referendum, or recall petition is rejected by an elections official to submit a statement to verify the voter's signature. If the elections official determines that the signature on the petition possesses multiple, significant, and obvious differing characteristics when compared to all signatures in the voter's registration record, the bill would require the elections official to mail a notice to the voter, on or before the next business day or as soon as practicable, of the opportunity to verify the voter's signature. The bill would require the notice and signature verification statement to contain specified text, and would require the voter to return the statement by the end of a specified 30-day period. The bill would require the elections official to include the petition signature verification statement, instructions, and additional specified information on the elections official's internet website. The bill would require elections officials to report to the Secretary of State by a specified date the number of notices mailed to voters, the number of signature verification statements returned by voters, the number of signatures successfully cured, and the number of signatures that were not cured. The bill would require the Secretary of State to compile this data on an annual basis and post a report with the information on its internet website. By increasing the duties of local 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.