An act to add Section 3019.2 to the Elections Code, relating to elections.
Summary
AB 2604 would add Section 3019.2 to the Elections Code to require the Secretary of State to provide, or fund counties to provide, a text-message-based ballot signature curing system. The measure is aimed at voters whose vote-by-mail ballots are flagged because the signature on the return envelope does not match or is missing, allowing them to complete the curing process by text message rather than only through existing methods. The bill defines this as ballot signature curing under existing Section 3019 procedures and allows the new system to be combined with other ballot-curing systems already authorized in law.
The bill also requires the Secretary of State to publish program data on its website, including county-by-county counts of voters offered text-message curing, voters who cured by text, voters who cured by other means, voters who did not cure, and median time from notification to curing. It further requires that any system provided by the state or counties protect voter data privacy and ballot security. In effect, the bill would expand the administrative tools available for curing vote-by-mail ballots while adding transparency reporting requirements.
Impact
AB 2604 would amend the Elections Code by creating a new statewide framework for text-message-based ballot signature curing. It would place responsibility on the Secretary of State either to implement the system directly or provide counties with the resources needed to do so, and it would authorize integration with existing ballot-curing systems. The bill would not change the underlying signature-verification rules for vote-by-mail ballots, but it would change how voters are notified and how they can respond when a ballot has a missing or mismatched signature. Counties and the Secretary of State would also be subject to new reporting and privacy/security obligations.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests generally favorable committee support for the bill, with a majority vote to pass it and move it forward, including a later committee action of do pass and re-refer to Appropriations. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided context beyond a small number of no votes indicates that the concept had enough support to advance, but not unanimous backing. Overall, the bill appears to have been received as a practical election-administration measure intended to make ballot curing easier for voters.
Contention
The main points of likely contention are administrative burden, cost, and implementation responsibility. Because the bill requires the Secretary of State either to build the system or provide counties with the resources to do so, fiscal and operational questions are central, which is consistent with the bill being referred to Appropriations. Another possible concern is data privacy and ballot security, since the bill relies on text-message-based communication for a sensitive election process. Supporters are likely focused on improving voter access and reducing rejected ballots, while skeptics may question whether the new system is necessary, secure, or feasible for all counties.