Early voting.

Existing law establishes procedures for voters to apply for a vote by mail ballot and use the ballot to vote in an election. Existing law allows a jurisdiction in which vote by mail ballots are cast to begin processing vote by mail ballots 29 days before the election. This bill would require the Secretary of State to provide guidance to local elections officials in performing specified tasks for the purpose of promoting and expanding the practice of early voting, as defined, consistent with specified statutory authority. The bill would define "early voting" to mean voting a vote by mail ballot in person at the office of the elections official or another location designated by the elections official either before or on the day of the election. The bill would allow county elections officials to apply for funding to provide early voting. If a county obtains funding sufficient to satisfy all associated costs, the bill would require an elections official, on at least one Saturday and Sunday on or after the date the elections official first delivers ballots to vote by mail voters for a statewide election, or for any other election as determined by the elections official based on voter demand, to allow voters to vote in the election by means of early voting at the early voting location designated for this purpose, provided that the location is accessible and complies with disability access requirements under federal and state law. The bill would permit the elections official to determine the hours of operation for the designated early voting location or locations for each Saturday and Sunday on which early voting is offered, provided that each location shall be open to voters for a minimum of 6 hours on each designated Saturday and Sunday. These provisions regarding Saturday and Sunday voting would not apply to elections conducted wholly by mail or to precincts in which each voter is furnished with a vote by mail ballot, as specified. This bill would become operative on January 1, 2016.