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AB-2724 High school pupils: voter registration.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 08/31/2024 09:00 PM
AB2724:v94#DOCUMENT

Enrolled  August 31, 2024
Passed  IN  Senate  August 27, 2024
Passed  IN  Assembly  August 28, 2024
Amended  IN  Senate  August 23, 2024
Amended  IN  Senate  August 15, 2024
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 01, 2024
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 11, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2724

Introduced by Assembly Member Reyes
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Pellerin)

February 14, 2024

An act to amend Section 49041 of, and to add Section 51225.85 to, the Education Code, relating to high school pupils.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2724, Reyes. High school pupils: voter registration.
(1) Existing law authorizes the administrator of a high school to appoint one or more pupils who are enrolled at that high school to be voter outreach coordinators, as provided.
This bill would specify that the administrator of a public or private high school may appoint one or more pupils who are enrolled at that high school to be voter outreach coordinators, as provided.
(2) Existing law declares the last two full weeks in April and the last two full weeks in September as “high school voter education weeks,” during which time persons authorized by the county elections official are allowed to register students and school personnel on any high school campus, as provided.
Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, and the California School for the Blind, known as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education, as provided.
This bill would, commencing with the 2026–27 school year, require the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school to ensure that each of its pupils receives, at least once before the pupil completes grade 11, information on how to properly preregister to vote, as provided. The bill would also require those educational entities to ensure that, upon request of a pupil or a pupil’s parent or guardian, information regarding where to acquire a paper copy of a voter registration card is provided to that pupil, such as a referral to the Secretary of State’s internet website. To the extent that this bill would create new duties for local educational agencies or local officials, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize those educational entities to contract with a third-party nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience providing nonpartisan youth civic engagement, to implement the requirements of this provision.
(3) 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.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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


SECTION 1.

 This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the High School Voter Registration Act.

SEC. 2.

 Section 49041 of the Education Code is amended to read:

49041.
 (a) The administrator of a public or private high school, or their designee, may appoint one or more pupils who are enrolled at that high school to be voter outreach coordinators.
(b) A voter outreach coordinator may coordinate voter registration activities on their high school campus that encourage persons who are eligible to register to vote pursuant to Section 2101 of the Elections Code, or other persons who may submit an affidavit of registration pursuant to Section 2102 of the Elections Code, to apply to register to vote by submitting an affidavit of registration on paper or electronically on the internet website of the Secretary of State.
(c) A voter outreach coordinator may, with the approval of the administrator of the high school, or their designee, coordinate election-related activities on their high school campus, including voter registration drives, mock elections, debates, and other election-related pupil outreach activities.

SEC. 3.

 Section 51225.85 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 51225.8, to read:

51225.85.
 (a) Commencing with the 2026–27 school year, the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school shall ensure that each of its pupils receives, at least once before the pupil completes grade 11, information on how to properly preregister to vote. The manner in which information is provided pursuant to this section shall be at the discretion of the governing board of the school district, the county board of education, the state special school, or the governing body of the charter school and may include information dissemination through in-class instruction, an existing program, family information sessions, or group or individual sessions with school counselors. The information provided shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, material related to all the following:
(1) Voting eligibility and guidance published by the Secretary of State.
(2) Services provided and materials published by the county elections office.
(3) The opportunity to register to vote, which is optional and may be completed at any time including by visiting the Secretary of State’s mobile-friendly online voter registration tool at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.
(4) The Student Poll Worker program.
(b) The governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school shall, upon request of a pupil or a pupil’s parent or guardian, ensure that information regarding where to acquire a paper copy of a voter registration card is provided to that pupil, such as a referral to the Secretary of State’s internet website.
(c) The governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school shall ensure that any information shared with parents, guardians, and pupils under this section is handled according to applicable state and federal pupil privacy laws and regulations.
(d) The governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school may contract with a third-party nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience providing nonpartisan youth civic engagement, to implement the requirements of this section.
(e) The governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school are encouraged to consider satisfying the requirements of this section during the high school voter education weeks established by Section 49040.

SEC. 4.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.