Voter education and outreach plans.

Sharp-Collins’s measure shifts the focus of voter outreach to counties that do not operate an all-mailed-ballot election, mandating they design and publish a voter education and outreach plan aimed at identifying and registering qualified electors who are not registered to vote and at encouraging participation. The plan must cover a defined set of public-information topics and be guided by a template provided by the Secretary of State, with the most current plan versions publicly accessible on both state and county websites.

Key provisions require counties to provide information on online voter registration, preregistration opportunities, vote-by-mail procedures, ballot tracking services, options for military and overseas voters, accessibility for voters with disabilities and language needs, in-person voting opportunities, and key election dates and deadlines. The Secretary of State must furnish a plan template, and counties must submit amendments to their plans on a biannual schedule, with the most current versions available on the state site and the county site. The amendments are due by October 1 of every odd-numbered year. The measure classifies these requirements as a state-mandated local program, with reimbursements available if a determination is made that costs are mandated, under existing procedures.

In relation to existing law, the bill repeals the prior framework in which the Secretary of State regulated counties’ voter-registration programs and could step in to design a county program if minimum standards were not met. Instead, the new framework places the obligation on counties to design and maintain a local voter education and outreach plan, tied to whether a county satisfies the conditions to conduct an all-mailed-ballot election. The state role is now focused on providing a plan template and maintaining current versions online, while counties bear ongoing responsibilities for plan content and publication.

The measure has several practical implications for stakeholders. County elections officials face new duties to develop, maintain, and update a plan and ensure information is publicly accessible on both state and county websites. The Secretary of State’s role centers on template provision and hosting plan versions. Voters may benefit from greater transparency and access to information on registration and voting options, though enforcement mechanisms for noncompliance are not specified. Fiscal implications hinge on a mandate-determination process, with possible reimbursement if costs are deemed mandated, but no explicit statewide appropriation is provided in the bill's text.