CHAPTER 2. Military and Overseas Voters Application and Voting Procedures [3101 - 3123]
( Heading of Chapter 2 amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 3. )
(a) The Secretary of State shall see that this chapter is enforced pursuant to Section 12172.5 of the Government Code.
(b) The Secretary of State shall make available to any person who qualifies as a military or overseas voter information regarding voter registration procedures for military or overseas voters and procedures for casting ballots by military or overseas voters.
(c) The elections official for each district shall ensure that their jurisdiction has available a system that would allow a
military or overseas voter to electronically request
a ballot and other information pursuant to this chapter.
(d) The Secretary of State shall develop standardized military or overseas voter voting materials as required by this chapter.
(e) The Secretary of State shall prescribe the form and content of a declaration for use by a military or overseas voter to swear or affirm specific representations pertaining to the voter’s identity, eligibility to vote, and status as a military or overseas voter, and shall further prescribe requirements for the timely and proper completion of a military or overseas voter’s ballot. The declaration shall be based on the declaration prescribed to accompany a federal write-in absentee ballot, as modified to be consistent with this chapter. The elections official for each jurisdiction shall
ensure that a form for the execution of the declaration, including an
indication of the date of execution of the declaration, is a prominent part of all balloting materials for which the declaration is required.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 161, Sec. 18. (AB 2608) Effective August 22, 2022.)
(a) Any voter who qualifies as a military or overseas voter pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 300 shall have the right to register for, and to vote in, any election within the state, including any general, special, or primary election for any federal or statewide office or state ballot measure that is voted on statewide. Any voter who qualifies as a military or overseas voter pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 300 shall also have the right to register for, and to vote in, any other election for any office or ballot measure held in the precinct in which the voter was a resident when the voter was last living within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia, or, for a military or overseas voter
qualified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, in any precinct of the state in which the voter’s parent or legal guardian resided when the parent or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia.
(b) When a military or overseas voter
registers to vote, the application shall be completed by the voter and shall contain the voter’s name; the voter’s date of birth; the address of the voter’s residence in the state when the voter was last living within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia or, if qualified as a military or overseas voter pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, the address of the voter’s parent or legal guardian when the parent or legal guardian was last living within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia; the address to which the ballot is to be sent; the voter’s political party preference or a statement that the voter declines to disclose a political party preference; and the voter’s signature.
(c) If an elections official receives a completed federal postcard application
from a person qualified as a military or overseas voter, the application shall be deemed to be an affidavit of registration.
(d) If the applicant is not a resident of the county to which the applicant has applied, the elections official receiving an application from a military or overseas voter shall forward it immediately to the county in which the applicant resided when the applicant was last living within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia or, for a military or overseas voter qualified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, to the county in which the applicant’s parent or legal guardian resided when the parent or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia.
(e) An application made pursuant to this section that is received by the elections official having jurisdiction over the election and deemed to be an affidavit of registration shall be effective only if it is postmarked on or before the 15th day prior to the election.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 161, Sec. 19. (AB 2608) Effective August 22, 2022.)
Upon timely receipt of an application received pursuant to Section 3102, the elections official shall examine the application to ascertain that it is properly executed in accordance with this code. If the elections official is satisfied of this fact, the applicant shall be deemed a duly registered voter as of the date appearing on the application to the same extent and with the same effect as though he or she had registered in proper time prior to the election.
(Added by renumbering Section 3101 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 5. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Applications for the ballots of military or overseas voters shall be received and, except as provided in Section 3106, the ballots shall be received and canvassed, at the same time and under the same procedure as vote by mail ballots, insofar as that procedure is not inconsistent with this chapter.
(Added by renumbering Section 3102 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 7. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) Any application made pursuant to this chapter that is received by the elections official prior to the 60th day before the election shall be kept and processed on or after the 60th day before the election.
(b) (1) The elections official shall send the ballot not earlier than 60 days but not later than 45 days before the election
and shall include with the ballot a list of all candidates who have qualified for the ballot and a list of all measures that are to be submitted to the voters and on which the voter is qualified to vote. The voter shall be entitled to write in the name of any specific candidate seeking nomination or election to any office listed on the ballot.
(2) The military or overseas voter may, in the alternative to the ballot provided pursuant to paragraph (1), use a federal write-in absentee ballot to vote in any election in which the military or overseas voter is qualified to vote.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 15341 or any other provision of law, any name written upon a ballot for a particular office pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be counted for the office or
nomination, providing the candidate whose name has been written on the ballot has, as of the date of the election, qualified to have his or her name placed on the ballot for the office, or has qualified as a write-in candidate for the office.
(d) Except as provided in Section 3106, the elections official shall receive and canvass military or overseas voter ballots described in this section under the same procedure as vote by mail ballots, insofar as that procedure is not inconsistent with this section.
(e) In the event that a military or overseas voter executes a ballot pursuant to this section and an application for a vote by mail ballot pursuant to Section 3102, the elections official shall
process the application and the ballot in accordance with this chapter.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a military or overseas voter who qualifies pursuant to this chapter may, by facsimile transmission, register to vote and apply for a ballot pursuant to this section or a vote by mail ballot. Upon request, the elections official shall send the ballot to the qualified military or overseas voter either by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, as requested by the voter.
(Added by renumbering Section 3103 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 8. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) A military or overseas voter who is living outside of the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia, or is called for military service within the United States on or after the seventh day prior to the date of the election, may return their ballot by facsimile transmission. To be counted, the ballot returned by facsimile transmission shall be received by the voter’s elections official no later than the closing of the polls on election day and shall be accompanied by an identification envelope containing all of the information required by Section 3011 and an oath of voter declaration in substantially the following form:
“OATH OF VOTER |
I,, acknowledge that by returning my voted |
| ballot by facsimile transmission I have waived my right to have my ballot |
| kept secret. Nevertheless, I understand that, as with any vote by mail |
| voter, my signature, whether on this oath of voter form or my identification |
| envelope, will be permanently separated from my voted ballot to maintain |
| its
secrecy at the outset of the tabulation process and thereafter. |
My residence address (last U.S. residence for voter qualification purposes) is(Street Address)
_____
_____
(City)
_____
_____
(ZIP Code).
|
My current mailing address is(Street Address)
_____
(City)
_____
_____
(ZIP Code).
|
My
email address is _________________. My facsimile transmission
number is _________________.
|
I am a resident of __________ County, State of California, or am qualified
as an elector pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321 of
the Elections Code and I have not voted, nor intend to vote, a ballot from any other jurisdiction for the same
election.
|
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.
|
Dated this __________ day of ______, 20_____.
|
(Signature)
|
(voter)(power of attorney cannot be accepted) |
YOUR BALLOT CANNOT BE COUNTED UNLESS YOU SIGN THE
ABOVE OATH AND INCLUDE IT WITH YOUR BALLOT AND
IDENTIFICATION ENVELOPE, ALL OF WHICH ARE RETURNED
BY FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION.”
|
(b) Notwithstanding the voter’s waiver of the right to a secret ballot, each elections official shall adopt appropriate procedures to protect the secrecy of ballots returned by facsimile transmission.
(c) Upon receipt of a ballot returned by facsimile transmission, the elections official shall
determine the voter’s eligibility to vote by comparing the signature on the return information with the signature on the voter’s affidavit of registration or any signature
permitted for comparison under Section 3019. The ballot shall be duplicated and all materials preserved according to procedures set forth in this code.
(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a military or overseas voter who is permitted to return their ballot by facsimile transmission is, nonetheless, encouraged to return their ballot by mail or in person if possible. A military or overseas voter should return a ballot by facsimile transmission only if doing so is necessary for the ballot to be received before the close of polls on election day.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 161, Sec. 20. (AB 2608) Effective August 22, 2022.)
When the application is received by an elections official, other than a county elections official, the elections official receiving it shall, after the election, transmit it to the county elections official who, if the application is not subject to rejection, shall file the original. If an application is rejected, it shall be returned to the applicant with the reason for rejection endorsed on it, together with a new blank application.
(Added by renumbering Section 3106 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 11. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) A military or overseas voter who is qualified pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 300 may apply in person to the voter’s elections official for permission to register after the closing date of registration under the following conditions:
(1) The military or overseas voter is released from service after the closing date of registration for an
election, returns to the county of his or her residence, and is not a registered voter. To register, the elector shall furnish documentary proof that he or she was released from service after the closing date of registration for the election.
(2) The military or overseas voter is required to move under official active duty military orders after the closing date of registration. To register, the elector shall furnish a copy of his or her official military orders.
(b) On or before the day of election, or the first day a vote center opens, the elections official shall deliver to the precinct board a list of military or overseas voters who registered under this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 806, Sec. 25.5. (SB 286) Effective January 1, 2018.)
If any military or overseas voter to whom a vote by mail ballot has been mailed and which ballot has not been voted by them returns to the county in which they are registered, or for a military or overseas voter qualified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, to the county in which the applicant’s parent or legal guardian resided when the parent or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia on or before election day, they may apply for a replacement ballot pursuant to Section 3014. The elections official shall then issue another vote by mail ballot to the voter, or the elections official shall certify to the precinct board that the voter is eligible to vote in the
election.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 650, Sec. 2. (AB 398) Effective January 1, 2024.)
If any military or overseas voter returns to the county of their residence, or for a military or overseas voter qualified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, to the county in which the applicant’s parent or legal guardian resided when the parent or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia, after the seventh day prior to the date of the election, they may appear before the elections official and make application for registration. The elections official shall register the voter, if the voter is not registered, and deliver to the voter a vote by mail ballot which may be voted in the
elections official’s office or voted outside the elections official’s office on or before the close of the polls on the day of election and returned as are other vote by mail ballots.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 161, Sec. 21. (AB 2608) Effective August 22, 2022.)
If a military or overseas voter is unable to appear at their polling place because of being recalled to service after the seventh day prior to the date of the election, but before 5 p.m. on the day before the day of the election, they may appear before the elections official in the county in which the military or overseas voter is registered or, if within the state, in the county in which the voter is recalled to service. The elections official shall deliver to the voter a vote by mail ballot which may be voted in the elections official’s office or voted outside the elections official’s office on
or before the close of the polls on the day of election and returned as are other vote by mail ballots. To be counted, the ballot shall be returned to the elections official’s office in person, by facsimile transmission, or by an authorized person on or before the close of the polls on the day of the election. If the military or overseas voter appears in the county in which the voter is recalled to service, rather than the county to which the voter is registered, the elections official shall coordinate with the elections official in the county in which the military or overseas voter is registered to provide the ballot that contains the appropriate measures and races for the precinct in which the military or overseas voter is registered.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 161, Sec. 22. (AB 2608) Effective August 22, 2022.)
Whenever by any statute of the United States, provision is made for vote by mail, an application for a vote by mail ballot made under that law may be given the same effect as an application for a vote by mail ballot made under this code.
If, by any federal statute, provision is made for the transmission of applications for vote by mail status to the Secretary of State, he or she shall transmit the applications to the county elections official of the county in which the applicant claims residence, or for a military or overseas voter qualified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 321, to the county in which the applicant’s parent or legal guardian resided when the parent
or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the United States or the District of Columbia.
(Added by renumbering Section 3111 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 16. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
If by any act of Congress which is now or may become effective during the effective period of this section, provision is made for voting by military or overseas voters, that act shall control and be superior to any conflicting provisions of this code, and all state, county, municipal, and district officers who are charged with the performance of duties with reference to the election laws of this state shall perform the duties and discharge the obligations placed upon them by that act of Congress. It is the purpose and intent of this section that full effect shall be given to ballots cast by military or overseas voters under federal statutes in order that no person shall be deprived of his or her vote by virtue of having cast his
or her ballot under any federal statute rather than under the laws of this state.
(Added by renumbering Section 3112 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 17. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) For an election for which this state has not received a waiver pursuant to the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (52 U.S.C. Sec. 20301 et seq.), not sooner than 60 days but not later than 45 days before the election, the elections official shall transmit a ballot and balloting materials to each military or overseas voter who, by that date, submits a valid ballot application pursuant to Section 3102.
(b) If a valid ballot application from a military or overseas voter arrives after the 45th day before the election, the elections official charged with distributing a ballot and balloting materials to that voter shall transmit them to the voter as soon as practicable after the application arrives.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 94. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)
A military or overseas voter may use a federal write-in absentee ballot to vote for all offices and ballot measures described in subdivision (a) of Section 3102.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 19. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) A county elections official shall permit a military or overseas voter to cast his or her ballot using a certified remote accessible vote by mail system.
(b) This section does not apply to a county when conducting an all-mailed ballot election pursuant to Section 4005.
(c) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2020, or one year after the date on which the Secretary of State certifies a remote accessible vote by mail system pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 19280) of Division 19, whichever is later.
(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 906, Sec. 3. (AB 1013) Effective January 1, 2019. Operative on or after January 1, 2020, as prescribed by its own provisions.)
A valid ballot cast shall be counted if it is received by the elections official in accordance with Section 3020.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 618, Sec. 2. (SB 29) Effective January 1, 2015.)
The elections official shall include with the ballot a declaration to be signed by the military or overseas voter that a material misstatement of fact in completing the ballot may be grounds for a conviction of perjury under the laws of this state or the United States.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 21. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Elections officials shall implement an electronic free access system by which a military or overseas voter may determine by telephone, electronic mail, or Internet whether the military or overseas voter’s ballot has been received.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 22. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
The elections official shall request an electronic mail address from each military or overseas voter who registers to vote. A military or overseas voter who provides an electronic mail address may request that his or her application for a ballot be considered a standing request for electronic delivery of a ballot for all elections conducted in the jurisdiction in which he or she is eligible to vote. An elections official shall provide for electronic delivery of a ballot to a military or overseas voter who makes a standing request for all elections conducted in the jurisdiction in which he or she is eligible to vote.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 649, Sec. 1. (AB 1589) Effective January 1, 2015.)
(a) As soon as practicable before an election, each elections official shall publish on his or her Internet Web site a list of all of the ballot measures and federal, state, and local offices that, as of that date, the elections official expects to be on the ballot on the date of the election. The list shall also contain specific instructions for how a voter is to indicate on a federal write-in absentee ballot the voter’s choice for each office to be filled and for each ballot measure to be contested.
(b) A military or overseas voter may request a copy of the list described in subdivision (a). The elections official shall send the list to the voter by facsimile,
electronic mail, or regular mail, as the voter requests.
(c) Not later than 60 days before a regularly scheduled election and as soon as practicable before a special election, the elections official shall update on his or her Internet Web site the list described in subdivision (a) with the certified candidates for each office and certified ballot measures and make the updated list publicly available.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 24. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) If a military or overseas voter’s mistake or omission in the completion of a document under this chapter does not prevent determining whether a military or overseas voter is eligible to vote, the mistake or omission does not invalidate the document. In a write-in ballot authorized by this chapter, if the intention of the voter is discernible under this state’s uniform definition of what constitutes a vote and the ballot is eligible to be counted pursuant to Sections 3019 and 3106, an abbreviation, misspelling, or other minor variation in the form of the name of a
candidate or a political party shall be accepted as a valid vote.
(b) An authentication, other than the declaration specified in Section 3106 or 3118 or the declaration on the federal postcard application and federal write-in absentee ballot, is not required for execution of a document under this chapter. The declaration and any information in the declaration may be compared with information on file to ascertain the validity of the document.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 560, Sec. 4. (AB 1417) Effective January 1, 2014.)
A court may issue an injunction or grant other equitable relief appropriate to ensure substantial compliance with, or enforce, this chapter on application by either of the following:
(a) A military or overseas voter.
(b) An elections official in this state.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 744, Sec. 26. (AB 1805) Effective January 1, 2013.)