(1) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to compare the signature on the identification envelope of the ballot to specified records of the voter's signature. If the signature does not compare, existing law requires the elections official, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, to provide the voter with notice of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and delivering a signature verification statement to the elections official, as specified. If the elections official determines that the voter has not signed the ballot identification envelope, existing law prohibits the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter either signs the ballot identification envelope at the office of the elections official during regular business hours, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election.
California SB 523 (20192020) — Elections: vote by mail ballots.
(1) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to compare the signature on the identification envelope of the ballot to specified records of the voter's signature. If the signature does not compare, existing law requires the elections official, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, to provide the voter with notice of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and delivering a signature verification statement to the elections official, as specified. If the elections official determines that the voter has not signed the ballot identification envelope, existing law prohibits the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter either signs the ballot identification envelope at the office of the elections official during regular business hours, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 5–1 (pass) · lower
Unfinished Business SB523 McGuire et al. Concurrence — 29–11 (pass) · upper
Do pass — 4–2 (pass) · upper
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 4–0 (pass) · upper
Placed on suspense file — 6–0 (pass) · upper
SB 523 McGuire Senate Third Reading By Gonzalez — 61–18 (pass) · lower
3rd Reading — 29–9 (pass) · upper
Sponsors
McGuire — primary (person)
Gonzalez — coauthor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2019-02-21 Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. introduction, reading-1
2019-02-22 From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.
2019-03-07 Referred to Com. on E. & C.A. referral-committee
2019-03-13 Set for hearing April 2.
2019-04-02 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 524.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee
2019-04-05 Set for hearing April 22.
2019-04-22 April 22 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2019-05-10 Set for hearing May 16.
2019-05-16 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 2. Page 1102.) (May 16). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2019-05-16 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2019-05-22 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 9. Page 1212.) Ordered to the Assembly. passage, reading-3, reading-1
2019-05-22 In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. reading-1
2019-06-03 Referred to Com. on E. & R. referral-committee
2019-07-03 From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (July 3). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee
2019-08-13 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. reading-1, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee
2019-08-21 Coauthors revised.
2019-08-21 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (August 21). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2019-08-22 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2019-09-11 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 61. Noes 18. Page 3434.) Ordered to the Senate. passage, reading-3, reading-1
2019-09-11 In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2019-09-12 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 11. Page 2903.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2019-09-19 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2019-10-08 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2019-10-08 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 568, Statutes of 2019.
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/074b055d-7e62-4ce3-96bd-2cdfe4c1be9b. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).
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