Elections: polling places and vote centers.

Assembly Member Lackey, joined by Bryan and Pellerin, frames public buildings—including school facilities—as orderly venues for polling and vote-center operations by codifying space, storage, internet access, and parking requirements alongside existing authorization to use these buildings during the election window.

The measure affirms the longstanding authority to use local public buildings as polling places or vote centers beginning up to ten days before an election and continuing through election day, and to store voting machines or other tabulating devices at no cost. It adds a mandate that governing bodies instruct school districts or other public administrators to provide an adequate space for voting operations and for storage of associated supplies, and to make internet access available to local elections officials if requested. It also requires that when a city or county elections official requests use of a building, the UC system is encouraged but not required to comply. The bill permits, but does not compel, occasional school calendar adjustments—such as keeping a school in session in certain areas, designating staff training days, or closing schools—upon planning decisions made before calendars are printed, and it requires advance notice to facilitate per-school or districtwide determinations.

In terms of operational details, the measure obligates districts to provide space and supplies in a manner that does not impede the voting process, and to supply internet access if requested. Beginning ten days before the election, the district administrator must offer parking at no charge to the polling location board and voters, with the option to provide accessible parking and curbside parking for assisting voters upon request. The changes preserve the existing framework for lead-time planning—prompting elections officials to submit a list of needed schools or buildings well in advance—and tie these requirements to compliance with applicable accessibility laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Voting Rights Act.

Fiscal and implementation considerations center on local responsibility. The measure does not specify new state appropriations, leaving potential costs for space configuration, internet access, and enhanced parking to local budgets or reallocations. Enforcement remains primarily through existing election administration processes, with no new penalties established in the measure. Taken together, the proposal adds specificity to how public facilities accommodate voting operations—emphasizing space adequacy, storage capacity, digital access, and accessible parking—while maintaining discretion for school calendar decisions and UC participation, and it situates these changes within established planning horizons and federal accessibility requirements.