California 2023-2024 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 D cosponsors

AB 545 — Elections: access for voters with disabilities.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 658, Statutes of 2023.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 08, 2023. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic) on October 10, 2023.

Prognosis

Advancing 52% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

(1) Existing law requires elections officials to furnish each polling place with specified supplies for an election. This bill would expand the list of required supplies to include specified items to assist voters with disabilities. (2) Existing law restricts who may be within the voting booth area and who may occupy a voting both or compartment. Existing law allows a voter, after declaring under oath before a member of the precinct board that the voter is unable to mark a ballot, to receive assistance of up to two persons selected by the voter, as specified. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the voter issue a declaration under oath before receiving assistance, as specified. (3) In certain inaccessible polling places, existing law allows a voter with a disability to appear outside the polling place and vote by regular ballot. Where it is impractical to vote a regular ballot outside the polling place, existing law requires vote by mail ballots to be provided in sufficient numbers to accommodate voters with disabilities who present themselves on election day, and authorizes a voter with a disability to vote a vote by mail ballot in the same manner as a regular ballot may be voted by that person outside the polling place. This bill would expand that authority to allow a voter with a disability to vote by regular ballot outside any polling place, regardless of whether the polling place is inaccessible. The bill would require the posting of signage in specified areas indicating that the option is available for a voter with a disability to vote there, and the establishment of a method for a voter with a disability to contact a precinct board member in order to vote outside the polling place. The bill would require elections officials to include information regarding this option in the county elections internet website and the county voter information guide. (4) By imposing additional duties on local elections officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 658, Statutes of 2023.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

  5. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 33. Noes 3. Page 2432.).

  6. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  7. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (September 1).

  8. In committee: Referred to APPR suspense file.

  9. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 20). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. Referred to Com. on E. & C.A.

  11. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  12. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 67. Noes 6. Page 2055.)

  13. Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 1684.)

  14. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  15. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 2.) (May 18).

  16. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  17. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (March 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  18. Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

  19. From printer. May be heard in committee March 11.

  20. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 545 do?
(1) Existing law requires elections officials to furnish each polling place with specified supplies for an election. This bill would expand the list of required supplies to include specified items to assist voters with disabilities. (2) Existing law restricts who may be within the voting booth area and who may occupy a voting both or compartment. Existing law allows a voter, after declaring under oath before a member of the precinct board that the voter is unable to mark a ballot, to receive assistance of up to two persons selected by the voter, as specified. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the voter issue a declaration under oath before receiving assistance, as specified. (3) In certain inaccessible polling places, existing law allows a voter with a disability to appear outside the polling place and vote by regular ballot. Where it is impractical to vote a regular ballot outside the polling place, existing law requires vote by mail ballots to be provided in sufficient numbers to accommodate voters with disabilities who present themselves on election day, and authorizes a voter with a disability to vote a vote by mail ballot in the same manner as a regular ballot may be voted by that person outside the polling place. This bill would expand that authority to allow a voter with a disability to vote by regular ballot outside any polling place, regardless of whether the polling place is inaccessible. The bill would require the posting of signage in specified areas indicating that the option is available for a voter with a disability to vote there, and the establishment of a method for a voter with a disability to contact a precinct board member in order to vote outside the polling place. The bill would require elections officials to include information regarding this option in the county elections internet website and the county voter information guide. (4) By imposing additional duties on local elections officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Who sponsors AB 545?
AB 545 is sponsored by Pellerin, Gail (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 545?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 08, 2023. Enacted.
Where can I track AB 545?
Track AB 545 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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