Initiatives: qualification: electronic signatures.

Assembly Member DeMaio's electronic petition legislation would establish a state-managed online system allowing California voters to electronically sign initiative, referendum, and recall petitions through the Secretary of State's website. The proposal creates parallel digital and paper signature collection processes, with electronic signatures carrying equal legal weight as traditional handwritten ones.

Under the new framework, petition proponents could opt to circulate their measures electronically, triggering requirements for the Secretary of State to post petition text, related arguments, and real-time signature tallies online. The system would verify voter identities and authenticate electronic signatures without requiring the circulator affidavits currently mandated for paper petitions.

The bill outlines specific procedures for state and local election officials to process electronic signatures. Upon completion of circulation periods, officials would combine valid electronic and paper signatures to determine if petitions meet qualification thresholds. For state measures, the Secretary of State would certify qualifying petitions that reach 100% of required signatures. County, city, school district and special district officials would follow similar protocols for local measures.

The measure includes provisions for reimbursing local agencies and school districts for any state-mandated costs associated with implementing the electronic system, as determined by the Commission on State Mandates. This maintains existing fiscal protections for local governments while modernizing California's direct democracy tools.