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AB-891 Voter registration: requirements.(2013-2014)

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 891

Introduced by Assembly Member Jones

February 22, 2013

An act to amend Section 2157 of the Elections Code, relating to voter registration.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 891, as introduced, Jones. Voter registration: requirements.
Existing law sets forth the procedures for registering to vote and processing voter registration information and requires the Secretary of State to adopt regulations that prescribe the form of the voter’s affidavit of registration.
This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 2157 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

2157.
 (a) Subject to this chapter, the paper affidavit of registration shall be in a form prescribed by regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. The affidavit shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Contain the information prescribed in Section 2150.
(2) Be sufficiently uniform among the separate counties to allow for the processing and use by one county of an affidavit completed in another county.
(3) Allow for the inclusion of informational language to meet the specific needs of that county, including, but not limited to, the return address of the elections official in that county, and a telephone number at which a voter can obtain elections information in that county.
(4) Be included on one portion of a multipart card, to be known as a voter registration card, the other portions of which shall include information sufficient to facilitate completion and mailing of the affidavit. The affidavit portion of the multipart card shall be numbered according to regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. For purposes of facilitating the distribution of voter registration cards as provided in Section 2158, there shall be attached to the affidavit portion a receipt. The receipt shall be separated from the body of the affidavit by a perforated line.
(5) Contain, in a type size and color of ink that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement identical or substantially similar to the following:
“Certain voters facing life-threatening situations may qualify for confidential voter status. For more information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Safe At Home program or visit the Secretary of State’s Web site.”
(6) Contain, in a type size and color of ink that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement that the use of voter registration information for commercial purposes is a misdemeanor pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 2194 and Section 18109, and any suspected misuse shall be reported to the Secretary of State.
(7) Contain a toll-free fraud hotline telephone number maintained by the Secretary of State that the public may use to report suspected fraudulent activity concerning misuse of voter registration information.
(8) Be returnable to the county elections official as a self-enclosed mailer with postage prepaid by the Secretary of State.
(b) Nothing contained in this division shall prevent the use of voter registration cards and affidavits of registration in existence on the effective date of this section and produced pursuant to regulations of the Secretary of State, and all references to voter registration cards and affidavits in this division shall be applied to the existing voter registration cards and affidavits of registration.
(c) The Secretary of State may continue to supply existing affidavits of registration prior to printing new or revised forms that reflect the changes required pursuant to this section, Section 2150, or Section 2160.
(d) Nothing in this division shall prevent the lawful use of an affidavit of registration form provided on a county’s Internet Web site, provided that the county offered the form on the county’s Internet Web site on or before January 1, 2012, and the affidavit meets the requirements of paragraphs (1), (3), and paragraphs (5) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (a). This subdivision shall be in effect until the Secretary of State makes affidavits of registration available pursuant to subdivision (e).
(e) The Secretary of State shall, in consultation with county elections officials, design and make available on his or her Internet Web site an affidavit of registration. The affidavit shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Contain the information prescribed in Section 2150.
(2) Be numbered according to regulations adopted by the Secretary of State.
(3) Contain, in a type size that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement identical or substantially similar to the following: “Certain voters facing life-threatening situations may qualify for confidential voter status. For more information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Safe At Home program or visit the Secretary of State’s Web site.”
(4) Contain, in a type size that is clearly distinguishable from surrounding text, a statement that the use of voter registration information for commercial purposes is a misdemeanor pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 2194 and Section 18109, and any suspected misuse shall be reported to the Secretary of State.
(5) Contain a toll-free fraud hotline telephone number maintained by the Secretary of State that the public may use to report suspected fraudulent activity concerning misuse of voter registration information.
(6) Be returnable to the county elections official.
(f) Affidavits of registration provided on the Internet Web site of a county or of the Secretary of State shall be for individual use only and not for use by organizations seeking to register people to vote pursuant to Section 2158.