The California Secretary of State’s Office has released a flurry of new information the past few days and is leveraging technology in new ways, and voters decide the fate of ballot measures that would have a direct impact on the state of California’s technology systems. Here’s a quick roundup of useful and interesting factoids and information:
- Secretary of State Alex Padilla has weighed in on a federal court’s decision to disallow “ballot selfies” during Election Day 2016.
“As Secretary of State, I have made it my mission to encourage participation in our elections and I appreciate Californians’ desire to show their civic pride in casting a ballot. However, today’s ruling means that “ballot selfies” are not authorized for the November 8, 2016 General Election,” Padilla said in a Nov. 2 announcement. “We need to embrace the use of technology as a way to encourage civic participation. That's why I supported a new law that is paving the way for “ballot selfies” to be permitted under state law. This new law will go into effect on January 1, 2017. In the meantime, voters can still take a selfie with their ‘I Voted’ sticker.”
“Californians can still use their smartphones at the polls. Many voters use their smartphones to access their sample ballot or notes they have made about candidates and ballot measures,” Padilla added.
- After months of testing, California's centralized statewide voter registration system was certified in late September. Padilla said earlier this year that the system will be used during tomorrow’s election. The system, called VoteCal, enables Californians to register online to vote, check the status of their ballot, and find their polling place — all via a one-stop website, https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/. Voters can also opt out of the paper-based State Voter Information Guide.
After the Nov. 8 General Election, VoteCal also will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to complete online pre-registration to vote, supplementing what today is a paper-based process. Beginning in 2017, Californians will be able to register to vote on Election Day.
- On Nov. 1, the Secretary of State’s Office announced the launch of the Vote California smartphone app now available for iPhone and Android users. “The free app will allow Californians to check their voter status, find their polling location and view the Quick Guide to Propositions. Voters can download the app by searching ‘Vote California’ in the Apple Store or Google Play,” the state said. The app was developed by the Secretary of State’s Office in conjunction with The Pew Charitable Trusts and California counties.
During the two final days Californians could register online — Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 — the Secretary of State’s Office tallied more than 501,000 completed transactions online. Voters ages 17 to 35 accounted for 58 percent of all online voter registration during those two days. In total, 19.4 million Californians are registered to vote.
- Prop 64 would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess and use up to an ounce of cannabis and grow as many as six plants. The initiative would pose a major expansion of an IT system that California is already in the beginning stage of developing to "track and trace" the movement of medical cannabis in the state. Prop 64 says the track and trace program would be expanded "to include the reporting of the movement of marijuana and marijuana products throughout the distribution chain and provide, at a minimum, the same level of information for marijuana and marijuana products as required to be reported for medical cannabis."
- Prop 54 would put in place a 72-hour wait period before a final vote on legislation after a bill is amended and require the Legislature to make audiovisual recordings of all its proceedings (except in closed session) and post them on the Internet. The recordings would be archived for a period of 20 years, The measure is backed by former Republican State Sen. Sam Blakeslee and Stanford professor Charles Munger. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimates $1 million to $2 million in one-time funding would be needed to buy additional video cameras and install them in hearing rooms at the State Capitol, and another $1 million to pay staff wages and buy archival storage. Blakeslee and Munger discussed the measure at a hearing last month.
- Prop 63, also backed by Newsom and others, "prohibits possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, and requires their disposal by sale to dealer, destruction or removal from state," according to the Secretary of State's Office. The measure, called the Safety for All Act of 2016, would amend the California penal code to require vendors who sell or transfer ammunition in the state to fill out a form and submit it to the California Department of Justice. Data points would include the sale date, purchaser's full name and his or her driver's license or ID number, the purchaser's address and birth date, and the salesperson who processed the transaction. A new CalDOJ database likely would result.
