California 2021-2022 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 D cosponsors

SB 503 — Voting: ballots and signature verification.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 319, Statutes of 2021.

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 17, 2021. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 72% · 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).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 8 recorded votes so far.

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 an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to verify the signature on the identification envelope by comparing it with the signature on specified records within the voter's registration record. Existing law requires the elections official, if the signatures do not compare or if the voter fails to sign the identification envelope, to provide a voter the opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and returning a signature verification statement or an unsigned ballot statement, which the elections official will use instead to compare signatures. Existing law requires an elections official to use the same procedures for comparing signatures for provisional ballots that are used for comparing signatures for vote by mail ballots. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to promulgate guidelines for county elections officials relating to the foregoing provisions. This bill would (1) apply a presumption, for purposes of the comparison of signatures in the voter's registration record, that the signature on an identification envelope, signature verification statement, unsigned ballot statement, or provisional ballot envelope, is the voter's signature; (2) specify that an exact signature is not required for an elections official to determine that the signature is valid and the fact that signatures share similar characteristics is sufficient to determine the signature is valid; (3) permit a ballot to be rejected only if two officials determine beyond a reasonable doubt that a voter's signature differs in multiple, significant, and obvious respects from all signatures in the voter's registration record; (4) prohibit an elections official from reviewing or considering a voter's party preference, race, or ethnicity, when comparing signatures; and (5) require the elections official to send, on or before the next business day after determining that a voter's signature does not compare or is missing, except as specified, notice to the voter of the opportunity to verify or provide a signature and a postage-paid return envelope for the voter to return a signature verification statement or unsigned ballot statement. The bill would also require an elections official comparing signatures, including when the official uses signature verification software or other technology, to adhere to applicable regulations promulgated by the Secretary of State. (2) Existing law requires elections observers to be allowed sufficiently close access to enable them to observe the vote by mail ballot return envelopes and the signatures thereon and challenge whether those individuals handling vote by mail ballots are following established procedures, including verifying signatures and addresses on the vote by mail ballot return envelopes by comparing them to voter registration information. This bill would delete verifying addresses on the vote by mail ballot return envelopes from the procedures that the observers may observe and challenge. (3) Existing law requires an elections official to send specified information regarding the results of an election to the Secretary of State within 31 days of the election. This bill would require an elections official to identify and provide to the Secretary of State the number of ballots rejected, categorized according to the reason for the rejection. The bill would require the Secretary of State to provide uniform reason codes for each category of rejection to be used by elections officials, and would require a report containing this information for every election, including local special elections, to be published on the Secretary of State's internet website. (4) By imposing additional duties on county elections officials related to the conduct of elections, the 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 319, Statutes of 2021.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1 p.m.

  4. Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 8. Page 2377.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 18. Page 2710.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 4.) (August 19).

  9. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. July 14 hearing postponed by committee.

  11. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  12. From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (June 30).

  13. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

  14. Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

  15. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  16. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 31. Noes 8. Page 1339.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  17. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  18. Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  19. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 1194.) (May 20).

  20. Set for hearing May 20.

  21. March 22 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.

  22. Set for hearing March 22.

  23. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 1. Page 499.) (March 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  24. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A.

  25. Set for hearing March 15.

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

  27. Joint Rule 55 suspended. (Ayes 32. Noes 4. Page 272.)

  28. (Ayes 32. Noes 4.)

  29. Art. IV. Sec. 8(a) of the Constitution dispensed with.

  30. From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 20.

  31. Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 14 voted No

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

Votes

Unfinished Business SB503 Becker Concurrence

Passed 29 Yea · 8 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 18500
Democratic 11002
Republican 0301
Total 29803
% of votes cast 73%20%0%8%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Bradford — Yea
Min — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Pan — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Newman — Yea
Glazer — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Roth — Yea
Wilk — Nay
Bates — Nay
Nielsen — Nay
Borgeas — Nay
Melendez — Nay
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Not Voting
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Not Voting
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Not Voting
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Nay

Official roll call →

SB 503 Becker Senate Third Reading By Berman

Passed 59 Yea · 18 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 25001
Unaffiliated 34901
Republican 0900
Total 591802
% of votes cast 75%23%0%3%
How each member voted (79)
Member Party Vote
Bloom — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Cooley — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Holden — Yea
Villapudua — Yea
Salas — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Wood — Yea
Ting — Yea
Low — Yea
Frazier — Yea
O'Donnell — Yea
Levine — Yea
Daly — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Medina — Yea
Gray — Yea
Burke — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Chau — Yea
Smith — Nay
Voepel — Nay
Waldron — Nay
Cunningham — Nay
Kiley — Nay
Mathis — Nay
Bigelow — Nay
Rendon — Not Voting
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Jim Patterson — Nay
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Vince Fong — Nay
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Bennett, Steve Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Lee, Alex Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Not Voting
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rubio, Blanca E. Democratic Yea
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Nay
Choi, Steven S. Republican Nay
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Davies, Laurie Republican Nay
Flora, Heath Republican Nay
Gallagher, James Republican Nay
Lackey, Tom Republican Nay
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Nay
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass.

Passed 12 Yea · 4 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 9300
Democratic 3000
Republican 0100
Total 12400
% of votes cast 75%25%0%0%
How each member voted (16)
Member Party Vote
Mullin — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Chau — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Voepel — Nay
Bigelow — Nay
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Vince Fong — Nay
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay

Official roll call →

3rd Reading

Passed 31 Yea · 8 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 13000
Unaffiliated 18500
Republican 0301
Total 31801
% of votes cast 78%20%0%3%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Glazer — Yea
Roth — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Min — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Newman — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Pan — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Borgeas — Nay
Bates — Nay
Nielsen — Nay
Wilk — Nay
Melendez — Nay
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended

Passed 5 Yea · 2 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4100
Democratic 1000
Republican 0100
Total 5200
% of votes cast 71%29%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Wieckowski — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Bates — Nay
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Placed on suspense file

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 1000
Unaffiliated 5000
Republican 1000
Total 7000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Portantino — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Bates — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
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Frequently asked questions

What does SB 503 do?
(1) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to verify the signature on the identification envelope by comparing it with the signature on specified records within the voter's registration record. Existing law requires the elections official, if the signatures do not compare or if the voter fails to sign the identification envelope, to provide a voter the opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and returning a signature verification statement or an unsigned ballot statement, which the elections official will use instead to compare signatures. Existing law requires an elections official to use the same procedures for comparing signatures for provisional ballots that are used for comparing signatures for vote by mail ballots. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to promulgate guidelines for county elections officials relating to the foregoing provisions. This bill would (1) apply a presumption, for purposes of the comparison of signatures in the voter's registration record, that the signature on an identification envelope, signature verification statement, unsigned ballot statement, or provisional ballot envelope, is the voter's signature; (2) specify that an exact signature is not required for an elections official to determine that the signature is valid and the fact that signatures share similar characteristics is sufficient to determine the signature is valid; (3) permit a ballot to be rejected only if two officials determine beyond a reasonable doubt that a voter's signature differs in multiple, significant, and obvious respects from all signatures in the voter's registration record; (4) prohibit an elections official from reviewing or considering a voter's party preference, race, or ethnicity, when comparing signatures; and (5) require the elections official to send, on or before the next business day after determining that a voter's signature does not compare or is missing, except as specified, notice to the voter of the opportunity to verify or provide a signature and a postage-paid return envelope for the voter to return a signature verification statement or unsigned ballot statement. The bill would also require an elections official comparing signatures, including when the official uses signature verification software or other technology, to adhere to applicable regulations promulgated by the Secretary of State. (2) Existing law requires elections observers to be allowed sufficiently close access to enable them to observe the vote by mail ballot return envelopes and the signatures thereon and challenge whether those individuals handling vote by mail ballots are following established procedures, including verifying signatures and addresses on the vote by mail ballot return envelopes by comparing them to voter registration information. This bill would delete verifying addresses on the vote by mail ballot return envelopes from the procedures that the observers may observe and challenge. (3) Existing law requires an elections official to send specified information regarding the results of an election to the Secretary of State within 31 days of the election. This bill would require an elections official to identify and provide to the Secretary of State the number of ballots rejected, categorized according to the reason for the rejection. The bill would require the Secretary of State to provide uniform reason codes for each category of rejection to be used by elections officials, and would require a report containing this information for every election, including local special elections, to be published on the Secretary of State's internet website. (4) By imposing additional duties on county elections officials related to the conduct of elections, the 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 SB 503?
SB 503 is sponsored by Becker, Josh (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 503?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 17, 2021. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 503?
Track SB 503 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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