Elections: signature verification and results.

Senator Cervantes proposes comprehensive changes to California's mail-in ballot verification procedures and election result reporting requirements through legislation that enhances transparency and standardizes signature verification processes statewide.

The bill prohibits elections officials from considering voters' identifying information, including gender, name, and address, when comparing ballot signatures. It establishes a clear process requiring officials to notify voters when signatures do not match, while allowing voters to work with nongovernmental organizations to complete verification statements. The legislation mandates that verification forms clearly state that officials must compare voter signatures with those in registration records, including driver's licenses and state ID cards.

For election result reporting, the bill requires officials to post updates at least twice weekly on their websites following an election until certification. These updates must include current vote tallies, processed ballot counts, and estimated remaining ballots using state-prescribed categories. Officials must display the expected timing of next updates directly on their homepage or election webpage rather than through separate links.

The measure expands observer access by allowing monitoring of signature verification procedures for both regular ballots and verification statements. It requires the Secretary of State to publish standard verification forms online and mandates that counties either use these forms or develop equivalent versions meeting the same requirements. Counties using different verification procedures than those set by the Secretary of State must post their processes online or provide them upon request.