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Committee advances bill to require use of USPS change-of-address data for voter-roll maintenance
Summary
SB 408 would require county election officials or the secretary of state to contract for U.S. Postal Service change‑of‑address data to help reconcile voter rolls; supporters said the data would reduce outdated registrations and returned ballots, while some witnesses urged caution and noted alternative tools such as ERIC
The Assembly Elections Committee passed SB 408 on July 2, a measure that would require county election officials or the California Secretary of State to obtain U.S. Postal Service change‑of‑address data to assist with voter file maintenance, residency confirmation and mail‑ballot delivery.
Senator Laird Choi (presenting the bill) told the committee that the measure is intended to rebuild public confidence in elections by reducing the number of outdated voter registrations and ballots mailed to addresses with no current resident. "For far too long, confidence in our electoral process has been declining," the sponsor said.
Colleen Britton of the Election Integrity Project California testified in support and urged the committee to use the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) data to find and remove ineligible registrations, including cross‑state duplicates and deceased registrants. Britton and others cited examples from prior litigation and research alleging duplicated or out‑of‑state registrations on California rolls.
A small number of witnesses questioned whether USPS NCOA was the best tool and noted other systems, including the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). One commenter said that some states had withdrawn from ERIC and expressed skepticism about relying on postal data; the committee did not adopt opposition amendments during the hearing.
Committee members acknowledged the need for better list maintenance while noting potential implementation costs. The clerk's office and committee analysis flagged estimated implementation costs could be sizable and that counties would need resources to implement regular data reconciliation. The sponsor said SB 408 requires weekly updates and encouraged coordination with county health and records offices to identify deceased registrants.
The committee recorded a unanimous favorable vote and re‑referred the bill to the Committee on Appropriations. Members emphasized the need to ensure county elections officials have the resources to carry out the required reconciliations.
SB 408 now advances to the Appropriations Committee for fiscal review. The bill, if enacted, would add a statutory requirement for the regular use of USPS change‑of‑address data in California's voter list maintenance operations.
