Elections: official canvass.

Assembly Member Berman, working with Senator Choi, advances a measure that would establish a 13th-day deadline after an election for counting the majority of ballots and releasing the corresponding vote totals, paired with a public extension mechanism when officials cannot meet that deadline. The reform is additive to the existing canvass framework and would not repeal the broader duties to begin canvassing promptly or to complete the official canvass under current law.

Under the proposal, on or before the 13th day after an election, elections officials would finish counting all non-exempt ballots and release the vote count for those ballots. There is a defined set of exceptions to this deadline, including duplicate ballots, forwarded mail ballots, mail ballots subject to signature verification or provision, provisional ballots, ballots cast under conditional voter registration, and ballots received after the fourth day following the election. If an official anticipates missing the deadline, they must file a notice of extension with the Secretary of State and publicly post the extension and its rationale on both the Secretary of State’s and the local official’s websites. The measure also specifies that its requirements do not alter other statutory obligations related to canvassing.

The bill creates a mandated-cost framework to address potential costs imposed on local agencies, providing for reimbursement if the state Mandates Commission determines that costs are mandated by the state. No explicit new appropriation is included in the measure, so localities would bear costs unless reimbursement is triggered under the existing mandate statutes. The Secretary of State’s role centers on posting extensions and maintaining public visibility of extension decisions, while the extension mechanism itself does not outline an approval process or time limit for extensions beyond public posting.

Contextually, the measure preserves current canvassing timelines and duties outside the new 13-day counting requirement, aiming to accelerate public availability of results for most ballots while recognizing that certain categories require longer processing and verification. For stakeholders, counties and election officials face new operational demands to meet the deadline or transparently communicate extensions, the Secretary of State gains an expanded public-facing role in disclosures, and voters may see earlier results for the majority of counted ballots, with potential public attention to any extensions.