Primary elections: ballots.

(1) Existing law prohibits a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference from voting in a particular party's primary election, including a presidential primary election, unless the party has authorized such a voter to vote in that party's primary election. This bill would require, for any nonpartisan ballot provided to a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference for use in a presidential primary election, that the ballot provide specified information regarding how a voter may request and vote a partisan ballot. (2) Existing law requires a county elections official, prior to each partisan primary election, to mail to every voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference a notice and application by which the voter can request a vote by mail ballot of a party that has authorized such voters to vote in its primary election. Existing law specifies other means by which a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference can request the ballot of a political party that has authorized such a voter to vote in its primary election. This bill would require the above-described application to contain a list of political parties that have authorized a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference to vote in that party's primary election, along with a box next to each party's name for the voter to mark to request a vote by mail ballot for that party. The bill would authorize such a voter to request a party's ballot by text message to the appropriate elections official, if the county has established a system for processing such a request. The bill would also require a voter requesting another party's ballot to provide specified personal identifying information. By imposing new duties on 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.