Senate elections committee advances suite of election bills on counting deadlines, accessibility, recounts and redistricting

At a meeting of the California State Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments, members advanced multiple election-related bills, including AB 5 (ballot-count deadlines), AB 287 (accessible parking and curbside voting), AB 9 30 (vote-by-mail receipt deadline and recount procedures), AB 3 3 1 (clarifying certification duties and unlawful return envelopes), AB 7 75 (behested-payment reporting), AB 14 41 (Merced County citizens redistricting commission) and AB 13 92 (candidate privacy protections). Several authors and outside witnesses testified and committee members asked detailed questions about implementation and local impacts.

The committee’s votes send most measures on to fiscal or policy committees for further review; some items generated sustained debate over the balance between accessibility, administrative burden and local control. The package addresses three recurring election issues raised during the hearing: (1) when and how ballots should be counted and cured, (2) how to ensure polling places and vote centers are accessible to voters with disabilities, and (3) governance issues including local redistricting and protections for candidates and election workers.

AB 5 — counting deadlines: Assemblymember Berman told the committee that AB 5 would “create clear and achievable metrics for when the vast majority of ballots must be counted.” He urged a requirement that “the vast majority of ballots [be] counted by the thirteenth day after the election.” The bill allows an elections official to request an extension by notifying the Secretary of State if unforeseen circumstances prevent meeting the deadline. Tim Cromartie, testifying for Secretary of State Shirley Weber, said the office remains opposed and recommended a longer deadline, saying in part: “The recent amendment extending the deadline to 13 days is helpful…our best judgment is that 15 days would be more prudent.” Committee members expressed differing views about pacing and feasibility; Senator Choi said faster processing is desirable and noted other bills that would allow earlier handling of mail ballots.

AB 8 27 and AB 16 — signature curing and earlier ballot processing: Assemblymember Berman also carried AB 8 27 to set a uniform cure deadline for signature defects on vote-by-mail return envelopes (proposed as the 20th day after the election) and to move notification timelines so voters have a date-certain cure window. Assemblymember Alanis presented AB 16 to clarify and confirm authority for elections officials to begin processing vote-by-mail ballots earlier in the timeline. Both bills received supportive remarks from county elections officials; committee members voiced…