Bill Text: CA AB1214 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Elections: official canvass.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-21 - Introduced. To print. [AB1214 Detail]
Download: California-2025-AB1214-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1214
| Introduced by Assembly Member Patterson |
February 21, 2025 |
An act to amend Sections 15301, 15306, 15372, and 15375 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1214, as introduced, Patterson.
Elections: official canvass.
Existing law requires the official canvass of all ballots received in an election to commence no later than the Thursday following the election and to continue daily, except on weekends and holidays, for not less than 6 hours each day until completed. Existing law requires elections officials to prepare a certified statement of the results of the election and submit that certified statement to the governing body of the jurisdiction within 30 days of the election. Existing law requires elections officials, within 31 days of the election, to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results. Existing law requires elections officials, beginning no later than the Thursday following an election, to post updated election results on their internet website at least once per week until publication of the certified statement of results or until the only ballots left to count are
vote by mail ballots for which a voter has the opportunity either to verify or provide their signature.
This bill would require elections officials to count all ballots and prepare the certified statement of the results of the election within 21 days of the election, and to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results within 22 days of the election. The bill would require elections officials to count at least 25% of ballots by the 7th calendar day following the election and at least 67% of ballots by the 14th calendar day following the election. The bill would require elections officials to post updated election results on their internet website at least twice per week, and to provide, by no later than the close of polls on election day, the dates on which those updates will be posted. By increasing the duties of 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.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 15301 of the Elections Code is amended to read:15301.
(a) The canvass shall commence no later than the Thursday following the election, shall be open to the public, and, for state or statewide elections, shall result in a report of results to the Secretary of State. (b) (1) The
canvass shall be continued daily, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted, for not less than six hours each day until completed.
(2) An elections official shall count at least 25 percent of ballots by the 7th calendar day following the election and at least 67 percent of ballots by the 14th calendar day following the election. The elections official shall count all ballots and complete the official canvass by the 21st calendar day following the election.
SEC. 2.
Section 15306 of the Elections Code is amended to read:15306.
(a) Beginning no later than the Thursday following an election, and until the time specified in subdivision (b), an elections official shall post updated information regarding the election on their internet website at least(1) Updated results for any candidate or measure appearing on the ballot.
(2) The number of ballots processed and an estimated number of outstanding ballots remaining unprocessed for each of the following
categories: ballots voted at a polling place, vote by mail ballots received on or before election day, vote by mail ballots received after election day, provisional ballots, and conditional registration ballots.
(3) The date and time when it is expected that the next results will be posted.
(b) By no later than the close of polls on election day, the elections official shall post on their internet website the dates on which the updates provided pursuant to subdivision (a) will be posted.
(b)
(c) The elections official may stop posting the results described in subdivision (a) when either of the following occurs:
(1) A certified statement of results is published pursuant to Section 15372.
(2) The only ballots left to count are vote by mail ballots for which a voter has the opportunity either to verify their signature pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 3019 or to provide their signature pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 3019. If the elections official stops posting results for this reason, they shall post a notice stating this reason on their internet website.
(c)
(d) The requirements of this section are in addition to any other duty to report or publish information required of the elections official pursuant to Division 15 (commencing with Section 15000)
this division or any other law.
SEC. 3.
Section 15372 of the Elections Code is amended to read:15372.
(a) The elections official shall prepare a certified statement of the results of the election and submit it to the governing body within(b) The elections official shall post the certified statement of the results of the election on his or her Internet Web site
the elections official’s internet website in a downloadable spreadsheet format that may include, but is not limited to, a comma-separated values file or a tab-separated values file and that is compatible with a spreadsheet software application that is widely used at the time of the posting. The certified statement of the election results shall be posted and maintained on the elections official’s Internet Web site internet website for a period of at least 10 years following the election. This subdivision shall apply applies only to an elections official who uses a computer system that has the
capability of producing the election results in a downloadable spreadsheet format without requiring modification of the computer system.
SEC. 4.
Section 15375 of the Elections Code is amended to read:15375.
The elections official shall send to the Secretary of State within(a) All candidates voted for statewide office.
(b) All candidates voted for the following offices:
(1) Member of the Assembly.
(2) Member of the Senate.
(3) Member of the United States House of Representatives.
(4) Member of the State Board of Equalization.
(5) Justice of the Court of Appeal.
(6) Judge of the superior court.
(c) All persons voted for at the presidential primary. The results for all persons voted for at the presidential primary for delegates to national conventions shall be canvassed and shall be sent within 28 days after the election.
(d) The vote given for persons for electors of President and Vice President of the United States. The results for presidential electors shall be endorsed “Presidential Election Returns” and shall be canvassed and sent within 28 days after the election.
Returns.”
(e) All statewide measures.
(f) The total number of ballots cast.
