Bill Text: CA SB25 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Elections: alternate ballot order: Los Angeles County pilot program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-09-29 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 927, Statutes of 2018. [SB25 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB25-Chaptered.html
| Senate Bill No. 25 |
| CHAPTER 927 |
An act to add Sections 13109.7, 13109.8, and 13109.9 to the Elections Code, relating to elections.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 29, 2018.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 29, 2018.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 25, Portantino.
Elections: alternate ballot order: Los Angeles County pilot program.
Existing law specifies the order of precedence of offices on the ballot, beginning with nominees for President and Vice President to be listed under the heading, PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT, and ending with directors or trustees for each district to be listed under the heading, DISTRICT. Measures submitted to the voters appear after district directors or trustees. Existing law authorizes a county elections official to vary the order for certain offices and measures submitted to the voters, in order to allow for the most efficient use of space on the ballot in counties that use a voting system, as defined. Existing law requires that the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction precede any school, county, or city office and that state measures precede local measures.
This bill would require the county elections
official for the County of Los Angeles to conduct elections using a specified alternate ballot order for elections conducted for three years after the date the county elections official declares that the Los Angeles County voting system modernization project underway in 2018 is complete and ready for operation. The bill would require the county elections official to prepare a report regarding the effect of using the alternate ballot order, as specified. The bill would require the county elections official, after the three-year period described above,
to post the report on the Internet Web site of the county elections official and to submit the report to the Secretary of State and the Legislature. The bill would authorize the county elections official to continue to use the alternate ballot order for elections conducted on or after the three-year period described above. Due to the additional reporting requirements imposed on the County of Los Angeles, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles.
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 13109.7 is added to the Elections Code, to read:13109.7.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 13109, for a period of three years commencing with the date that the county elections official for the County of Los Angeles declares that the voting system modernization project underway in 2018 is complete and ready for operation, the county elections official for the County of Los Angeles shall conduct elections using the alternate ballot order described in Section 13109.8.(b) The county elections official shall prepare a report regarding the
effect of using the alternate ballot order for elections conducted during the time period described in subdivision (a). The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(1) Statistics and information on the cost of transitioning to the use of the alternate ballot order.
(2) The overall turnout of voters in the jurisdiction for each election conducted using the alternate ballot order.
(3) For different contests listed on the ballot, including, but not limited to, local offices and local ballot measures, state offices and state ballot measures, and federal offices, the following information:
(A) The turnout of voters for each contest.
(B) The number of overvotes and undervotes for each contest.
(C) The dropoff rates for each contest.
(4) Legislative recommendations.
(c) The report described in subdivision (b) shall, whenever possible, compare an election conducted pursuant to this section and using the alternate ballot order described in Section 13109.8 to similar elections conducted using the ballot order described in Section 13109 in the same jurisdiction or in a comparable jurisdiction.
(d) Three
years after the declaration date described in subdivision (a), the county elections official shall submit the report described in subdivision (b) to the Secretary of State and to the Legislature in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code. The county elections official shall also post a publicly accessible copy of the report on the Internet Web site of the county elections official.
(e) Notwithstanding any other law, the county elections official may adjust ballot instructions to the extent necessary to comply with this section.
(f) Immediately after making the declaration described in subdivision (a), the county elections official shall post the declaration on his or her Internet Web site and send
the declaration to the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and the Legislative Counsel.
(g) This section shall remain in effect only until the first January 1 that occurs at least four years after the declaration date described in subdivision (a), and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 2.
Section 13109.8 is added to the Elections Code, to read:13109.8.
For the purposes of Sections 13109.7 and 13109.9, the order of precedence of offices on the ballot shall be as listed below for those offices and measures that apply to the election for which the ballot is provided. Beginning in the column to the left:(a) Under the heading, CITY/LOCAL:
(1) Mayor.
(2) Member, City Council.
(3) Unified School District Board Members.
(4) High School District Board Members.
(5) Elementary School District Board Members.
(6) College District Governing Board Members.
(7) Other offices in alphabetical order by the title of the office.
(8) Candidates or nominees to the State Senate.
(9) Candidates or nominees to the State Assembly.
(10) Candidates or nominees to the House of Representatives of the United States.
(11) City local initiatives and ballot measures.
(12) Local school district initiatives and ballot measures.
(b) Under the heading, DISTRICT:
(1) Directors or trustees for each district in alphabetical order according to the name of the district.
(2) District initiatives and ballot measures.
(c) Under the heading, COUNTY:
(1) County Supervisor.
(2) Sheriff.
(3) Assessor.
(4) County Superintendent of Schools.
(5) County Board of Education.
(6) Other offices in alphabetical order by the title of the office.
(7) Judge of the Superior Court.
(8) County Marshall.
(9) Members of the County Central Committee.
(10) County initiatives and ballot measures.
(d) Under the heading, STATE:
(1) Governor.
(2) Lieutenant Governor.
(3) Secretary of State.
(4) Controller.
(5) Treasurer.
(6) Attorney General.
(7) Insurance Commissioner.
(8) Member, State Board of Equalization.
(9) Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(10) Statewide initiatives and ballot measures.
(e) Under the heading, STATE JUDICIAL:
(1) Chief Justice of California.
(2) Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
(3) Presiding Judge, Court of Appeal.
(4) Associate Justice, Court of Appeal.
(f) Under the heading, NATIONAL ELECTION:
(1) Under the subheading, PRESIDENT and VICE PRESIDENT:
(A) Nominees of the qualified political parties and independent nominees for President and Vice President.
(B) Names of the presidential candidates to whom the delegates are pledged.
(C) Names of the chairperson of unpledged delegations.
(2) Candidates or nominees to the United States Senate.
