Existing law requires a voter to disclose a preference for a political party in order to participate in the political party’s primary election. However, existing law permits a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference to request the ballot of a political party at a partisan primary election if the political party authorizes a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference to vote the ballot of the political party at that partisan election. Existing law requires that information to be included in the voter registration card, the vote by mail ballot application, the state and county voter information guides, the internet websites of the Secretary of State and the county elections officials, and the nonpartisan vote by mail ballot that is sent to a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference.

This bill would require a county elections official, between the 90th 120th and 30th day before a presidential primary election, to send each registered voter in the county three separate notices containing specified information, including the voter’s current political party preference, the type of ballot the voter will be able to cast at the presidential primary election, and instructions on how the voter may change the voter’s political party preference. 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.