Electoral Reform
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Californians for Electoral Reform |
PO Box 128, Sacramento, CA 95812 916-455-8021
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CfER-sponsored AB 308 would help overcome the frequent disenfranchisement of overseas vote-by-mail voters by providing them with a special ranked ballot whenever a runoff election might have to be conducted within 90 days of the preliminary round.
On June 29, the Senate Appropriations Committee placed AB 308 in its suspense file. It may be reconsidered at any time up to the end of August. There is a lot of important work to be done to insure tha the bill is sent to the Senate floor. Please see the important call to action below.
When the first and second rounds of a two-round runoff election occur close together, it can be difficult for voters located overseas to receive their second-round ballots (which aren't printed until the first-round results are known) and return them in time to be counted. Only a small number of California cities have second rounds within 45 days of the first round, but a larger number have second rounds 60 to 70 days after the first (details here).
Because the right to cast an effective vote is at stake, this is a significant problem even if it affects only some voters in only a few jurisdictions.
In the long run, CfER wants to replace two-round runoffs with IRV. In the meantime, providing ranked ballots to those voters who might not be able to receive and return their runoff ballots by a deadline, is a valuable reform. Under this bill, affected voters would receive both a normal ballot for the first round, and an optional ranked ballot. Only the normal ballot would be counted in the first round. The special runoff ballot would be counted only if there is a runoff and if the voter does not return a normal runoff ballot. It would count for the candidate who receives the highest ranking of those candidates who made the runoff.
Arkansas, Louisiana and South Carolina have already adopted this reform. A bill to expand it from active military to all overseas voters was passed in Arkansas, after one election cycle of experience, with virtually no opposition. In Illinois, new legislation was passed authorizing it in all cities, after the city of Springfield adopted a similar measure affecting local elections in April 2007.
Please bookmark this section and return here frequently for updates.
AB 308 is being held in the Senate Appropriations Committee's suspense file. Please contact the members listed below, and urge them to support this bill. This is especially important if you live in one of their districts. The information on this page, especially the talking points below, will help you construct your message in your own words. At this stage of the legislative process, the relationship between the benefits of the bill and its cost are the key consideration.
Senator Christine Kehoe (D-39)
Chair, Committee on Appropriations
Postal: California State Capitol, Room 5050, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Kehoe@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4039
Fax: (916) 327-2188
Senator Dave Cox (R-1)
Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations
Postal: State Capitol, Room 2068, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Cox@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4001
Fax: (916) 324-2680
Senator Ellen Corbett (D-10)
Postal: State Capitol, Room 5108, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Corbett@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4010
Fax: (916) 445-2527
Senator Jeff Denham (R-12)
Postal: State Capitol, Room 3076, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Denham@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4012
Fax: (916) 445-0773
Senator Loni Hancock (D-9)
Postal: California State Capitol, Room 3092, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Hancock@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4009
Fax: (916) 327-1997
Senator Mark Leno (D-3)
Email: Senator.Leno@senate.ca.gov
Postal: State Capital, Room 4061, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4003
Fax: (916) 445-4722
Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-28)
Postal: State Capital, Room 5114, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Oropeza@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4028
Fax: (916) 323-6056
Senator Curren Price (D-26)
Postal: State Capitol, Room 2052, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Price@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4026
Fax: (916) 445-8899
Senator George Runner (R-17)
Postal: State Capital, Room 4090, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Runner@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4017
Fax: (916) 445-4662
Senator Mimi Walters (R-33)
Postal: State Capital, Room 3082, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Walters@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4033
Fax: (916) 445-9754
Senator Lois Wolk (D-5)
Postal: State Capital, Room 4032, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Wolk@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4005
Fax: (916) 323-2304
Senator Mark Wyland (R-38)
Postal: State Capital, Room 4048, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Wyland@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4038
Fax: (916) 446-7382
Senator Leland Yee (D-8)
Postal: State Capital, Room 4074, Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Senator.Yee@senate.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4008
Fax: (916) 327-2186
Are you active in an organization that supports improving participation in elections, especially through removing barriers to voting? Please propose that it endorse AB 308. Endorsements and letters of support should be addressed to:
Assemblyman Paul Cook
Postal: State Capitol,
Room 5164,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: Assemblymember.Cook@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2065
Fax: (916) 319-2165
Just as with AB 1121, CfER would like to receive a copy of any letters or endorsements submitted to the author of the bill, so please carbon-copy (cc:) email correspondence to Rob Dickinson at or fax copies of postal mail to (650) 679-9569.
August 28, 2009 -- The deadline for the Senate Appropriations Committee to approve AB 308 and send it to the floor is Friday, August 28.
June 29, 2009 -- AB 308 was heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee and placed on the committee's suspense file. Bills accumulate in Appropriations suspense files in both Houses until near the end of the session, when they are deal with all at once. Some are sent to the floor for debate and possible passage, while others are not. Technically the latter group are not defeated and remain on suspense until the second year of the session.
June 16, 2009 -- AB 308 passed the Senate Elections Committee on a 4-0 vote with one abstention.
May 14, 2009 -- AB 308 passed the Assembly, 74-0 with one abstention and five absent. It now goes to the State Senate.
April 29, 2009 -- AB 308 passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee by a vote of 15-0 with two absentions.
March 31, 2009 -- AB 308 passed the Assembly Elections and Reapportionment Committee on a 7-0 vote.
February 17, 2009 -- AB 308 was introduced in the Assembly by Paul Cook (R-65).
In special elections to fill vacancies in Congress and the state legislature, the runoff (when required) is either 8 or 9 weeks after the primary.
Cities that have runoff elections (this list may not be complete since we haven't looked at every city charter):General law counties, and charter jurisdictions that have primaries in June and general elections in November, would not be affected by AB 308. Five months is plenty of time for a normal runoff.
Our estimate of the cost of this new procedure is quite close to that of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, even though we use a different approach. The fact that these estimates are arrived by different methods should increase our confidence that they are valid.
Page last revised June 30, 2009