Voting: signature verification.

(1) Existing law requires an elections official who receives a vote by mail ballot to compare the signature on the identification envelope with the signature in the voter's registration record. If the signature does not compare, or if the identification envelope is missing the signature, the elections official must provide notice to the voter no later than 8 days before certification of the election of the voter's opportunity to verify their signature. The voter may verify their signature no later than 5 p.m. 2 days before certification of the election, including, if applicable, by providing their signature on an unsigned identification statement. This bill would reduce those deadlines for a regularly scheduled statewide election to no later than 14 calendar days after the election for the elections official to provide notice, and no later than 5 p.m. 22 calendar days after the election for the voter to verify their signature. For an election that is not a regularly scheduled statewide election, the bill would reduce those deadlines to 8 calendar days before certification of the election for the elections official to provide notice, and no later than 5 p.m. 2 calendar days before certification of the election for the voter to verify their signature. The bill would permit an elections official to use a vote by mail ballot drop box to receive the form used by the voter to verify their signature pursuant to these provisions. The bill would require an elections official who receives a completed unsigned identification statement that is not timely submitted to compare the signatures and, if the signatures compare, add the signature to the voter's registration record for use in future elections. (2) Existing law requires the official canvass of an election to commence no later than the Thursday following the election, as specified, and to continue daily, with the exception of Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, for not less than 6 hours each day until completed. This bill would specify that if the only ballots left to count are those for which a voter has been provided, or will be provided, the opportunity to verify or to provide their signature, and the elections official does not need to conduct the official canvas for at least 6 hours per day in order to meet the deadline for certification of the results, then the canvass may be conducted for fewer than 6 hours per day until completed. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2194 of the Elections Code proposed by AB 1392 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1392 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would also incorporate additional changes to Section 3019 of the Elections Code proposed by SB 3 to be operative only if this bill and SB 3 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (4) By imposing new duties on local elections officials, the bill would create 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.