Up until now, the state of California has been able to boast about one of the most liberal election “recount” statutes in the nation. It allows any voter or group of voters to request a post-election hand-count of any number of precincts in any race or ballot initiative in the state. The state election code allows crucial access to citizen oversight of public elections. That may all be about to change, however, if a Republican proposal, currently being supported by Democrats in the state legislature and causing alarm among some who have carried out recent “recounts”, becomes law. Under current law, voters seeking such a post-election count have to pay for the cost, though if the outcome of the election is changed in favor of the requester, they are entitled to receive a refund. … Still, the provision for post-election citizen oversight of election results in the state, until now, has been far better than most such laws elsewhere in the nation.
But now, a bill proposed by a Republican and broadly supported by Democrats in the state Assembly has moved on to the state Senate for approval. If it passes there and is signed by the Governor, it is almost certain to put a chill on post-election citizen oversight…for all but the wealthiest of voters…
AB 2369 was proposed by Republican Assembly Member Curt Hagman (AD-55). The bill recently passed out of the Democrat-dominated Assembly by an astounding margin of 66 to 7. It now awaits a hearing and approval by a state Senate committee. If successful, the bill would amend the current CA provision allowing any voter to file for a post-election “recount”, to require that counts requested by individuals be paid for “from the voter’s own personal funds”.
Full Article: Exclusive: California Legislature Moves to Restrict Citizen-Requested Election ‘Recounts’ | The BRAD BLOG.