Confidentiality of voter information: cognitively impaired individuals.

Assembly Member Lowenthal's voter privacy legislation would enable individuals holding power of attorney to secure confidential voter status for those with cognitive impairments, shielding their residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses from public voter records. The measure defines cognitive impairment to include conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, with the Secretary of State maintaining discretion to determine qualifying conditions.

Under the proposed system, authorized representatives must submit applications containing signed statements, made under penalty of perjury, confirming both their power of attorney status and the voter's cognitive impairment. County elections officials would then exclude these protected voters from public electoral lists, rosters, and indexes. The confidential status would transfer when voters move between counties, with new jurisdictions required to maintain these privacy protections.

The bill establishes oversight mechanisms through mandatory annual reporting to the Legislature. The Secretary of State must document the total applications received, approvals granted, and any reported misuse of confidential voter information. While the legislation shields government entities from negligence claims related to inadvertent information disclosure, it preserves liability for cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct. County elections offices would bear additional administrative responsibilities, though certain implementation costs may qualify for state reimbursement pending review by the Commission on State Mandates.