Elections: signature verification and results.

Senator Cervantes, with Assembly Member Berman as principal coauthor, advances a comprehensive reform of California’s vote-by-mail administration that centers on a neutral, rule-based framework for signature verification while expanding voter avenues to address mismatches and increasing public visibility into processing and results. At its core, the measure prevents the use of a voter’s identifying information or the time spent reviewing a signature as a factor in determining validity, requires timely notice when signatures do not compare, and creates a standardized, combined form for signature verification and unsigned envelope statements. It also directs the Secretary of State to publish the combined statement on its website and limits acceptance to forms developed by the state or elections officials.

Mechanically, the bill reshapes how signatures are compared and what happens after a mismatch. A presumption of validity and count applies even without an exact match, with allowances for signature characteristics and for technology-assisted determinations, while prohibiting consideration of party preference, demographic identifying information beyond identity confirmation, or the duration of review. If two additional officials confirm a significant, multiple discrepancy, the signature may be rejected; otherwise, the identification envelope is not opened and the ballot is not counted. Authorities may provide notice and a return mechanism for voters to verify signatures, including a combined verification/envelope form and options for nongovernmental assistance in completing the forms. A parallel operative path is included that would become active only under certain conditions linked to companion measures, with alternative deadlines and phrasing.

The bill expands openness and oversight associated with vote-by-mail processing. It broadens observer rights to include verification statements and unsigned envelope statements, requiring advance notice to observers and the public about when vote-by-mail materials will be processed and counted, and prohibiting interference with processing. It also strengthens public reporting requirements, mandating frequent, public posting of updated election results, counts of ballots processed, and projected timelines for the next updates on a stand-alone page or the election official’s homepage, with explicit restrictions on relying on hyperlinks to satisfy posting requirements. A separate, conditional pathway mirrors these changes for observer access and posting, subject to the fate of companion measures.

Financial and implementation considerations accompany these changes. The measure contemplates a state-mandated local program with reimbursement should the state mandate certain costs, but it does not attach an explicit statewide appropriation in the text. It also emphasizes privacy and security for electronic submissions, mandates accessibility through translations, and requires standardization of forms—limiting acceptance to forms developed by the Secretary of State or elections officials. The overall design ties together the signature-verification framework, observer access, and public posting into an integrated approach to vote-by-mail administration, with timing and implementation conditions that depend on the fate of companion measures and related statutory amendments.