An act to amend Sections 11020, 11021, and 11022 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.
Summary
SB 1357 would change California’s recall-election notice-of-intention process by shielding certain personal information of recall proponents from public disclosure. Under current law, the notice must include each proponent’s printed name, signature, and full residence address, and it must be published or posted publicly. This bill would require elections officials to redact proponents’ signatures and street number/street name before making the notice available to the public, while leaving other required information in place.
The bill also adds a new declaration that proponents must sign acknowledging that they are initiating the recall petition process, that the notice is a public record, and that the information will be published according to law. In addition, if a jurisdiction has no newspaper of general circulation for publication of the notice, the bill would require the notice to be posted on at least three internet websites, including the jurisdiction’s website, and would direct the Secretary of State to adopt regulations to implement that requirement. The bill includes legislative findings stating that the privacy protections are necessary to justify the limitation on public access.
Impact
SB 1357 would amend Elections Code sections 11020, 11021, and 11022 to create a narrower public version of recall notices by excluding proponents’ signatures and street-level residence information from public-facing copies. It would also modify publication rules for recall notices in jurisdictions without a qualifying newspaper by adding an internet posting requirement, and it would require the Secretary of State to promulgate regulations for that process. The practical effect would be to reduce the amount of personal identifying information available to the public while preserving the core notice requirements for recall proceedings.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill has been received favorably in committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous support in recorded votes and no recorded opposition in the provided history. At the same time, the bill’s framing indicates a policy balance between transparency in recall elections and privacy for recall proponents. The committee action placing the bill on suspense file suggests it is being treated as a measure with some administrative or fiscal implications, even though the digest states there is no appropriation.
Contention
The main point of contention is the tension between public access to election-related records and the privacy of recall proponents. Support for the bill appears to rest on protecting proponents from having signatures and home street information publicly exposed, while any opposition would likely center on reduced transparency and the public’s ability to verify recall activity. A secondary issue is the new internet-posting requirement, which could raise implementation questions for local election officials and the Secretary of State, especially in jurisdictions without newspapers of general circulation.
AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 44-08 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to recall elections for members of a governing body of a city; and to amend and reenact section 16.1-01-09.1 and subsection 1 of section 44-08-21 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to recall petitions and recall elections for political subdivision officials.