Two new laws sponsored by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen to make details of voting equipment flaws and more campaign disclosure filings available onlinewill take effect January 1. Senate Bill 1404 requires voting system vendors and ballot manufacturers to notify the California Secretary of State, in writing, of every known problem in their respective systems used in California. Under the new law, the Secretary of State will submit a report of all disclosed defects to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The EAC’s website will serve as a clearinghouse for the reports, making it easy for anyone to access the newly disclosed information.“Voters put their trust in voting systems to count their ballots exactly as they were cast,” said Secretary Bowen, the state’s chief elections officer. “This new law requires voting system vendors to disclose defects before an incident may occur that could compromise election results. Because the voting systems used in California are also used nationally, voters throughout the country will benefit from California’s transparency.”The California Secretary of State is responsible for inspecting voting systems and ballot manufacturing facilities for potential problems or flaws before approving their use in elections. However, such companies were never required to notify the Secretary of any flaws in a product discovered before or after the Secretary’s inspection. Companies may be liable for civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation for failing to disclose known product flaws.“Manufacturers of cars, toys and thousands of other products must report defects when their product fails to meet certain standards,” added Bowen. “That same philosophy of transparency should apply to voting equipment which millions of Californians rely upon to accurately record and tally their votes.
CA Secretary of State: new election security and campaign finance laws in effect on Jan. 1
California Secretary of State:
