Voter registration and outreach programs.

Existing law requires the Secretary of State to adopt regulations requiring each county to design and implement programs intended to identify qualified electors who are not registered to vote and to register those persons to vote. This bill would require the Secretary of State to award grants from the Civic Learning, Outreach, and Engagement Fund to local elections officials for programs that integrate voter registration and preregistration with civic education and engagement, and to coordinate with school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools to implement these programs. The bill would require a local elections official applying for a grant to submit to the Secretary of State a plan for administration of the civic education and engagement program, as specified. The bill would require a local elections official receiving a grant to evaluate the program each year and report the results to the Secretary of State, as specified. The bill would require initial grants be awarded for a minimum of three years and would require the Secretary of State, when awarding grants, to prioritize counties with lower voter registration and participation rates. The bill would establish the Civic Learning, Outreach, and Engagement Fund in the General Fund and would make the moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the grants and contracts provided for in the bill.