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California Secretary of State Regulations

The Secretary of State oversees and manages voters and elections

By Chris Micheli, April 28, 2022 4:17 pm

There are 27 Titles of the California Code of Regulations, which contain the thousands of regulations in effect in the State of California. In Title 2, “Administration,” Division 7, there are regulations for the Secretary of State. The following is an overview of Division 7:

Chapter 1. Voter Registration

Chapter 2. Statewide Voter Registration Database [Repealed]

Chapter 2. Risk Limiting Audits

Chapter 3. Voting Locations

Chapter 3.5. Early Ballot Retrieval

Chapter 3.6. Electronic Poll Books

Chapter 3.7. Voting Locations

Chapter 4. Ballot Printing

Chapter 5. Election Petition Signature Verification Random Sampling Verification Methodology

Chapter 6. Escrow of Source Codes

Chapter 6.1. Procedures and Standards for Reviewing Voting Systems, Parts of a Voting System, and Ballot Marking Devices for Certification or Conditional Approval

Chapter 7. Ballot Designations

Chapter 8.1. Recounts

Chapter 8.3. Petition Processing, Signature Verification, Ballot Processing, and Ballot Counting

Chapter 16. Political Reform

Chapter 1. Voter Registration

Article 1. Access to Voter Registration Information

§ 19001. Definitions.

§ 19002. Use of Registration Information; Limitations.

§ 19003. Permissible Uses.

§ 19004. Impermissible Uses.

§ 19005. Prior Written Authorization.

§ 19006. Charges; Deposits.

§ 19007. Penalties.

§ 19008. Application.

§ 19009. Submissions to Secretary of State.

Article 2. Postal Registration of Voters

Foreword

§ 19050. Voter Registration Card; Format.

§ 19050.5. Place of Execution.

§ 19050.6. Requirements for Valid Registration.

§ 19050.7. Receipt of Affidavit of Registration.

§ 19050.8. Registration Affidavit: Secretary of State Form.

§ 19051. Provision by Secretary of State.

§ 19052. Official Affidavits.

§ 19053. Ninety Day Request Period for Shipments.

§ 19054. Quantities.

§ 19055. Voter Registration Card.

§ 19056. Card Dimensions.

§ 19057. Reporting Requirement. [Repealed]

§ 19058. Voter Notification Card. [Repealed]

§ 19059. Languages.

Article 2.5. Statewide Voter Registration System

§ 19060. Purpose.

§ 19061. Immediate Action Required.

§ 19062. Definitions.

§ 19063. Communication Between the Statewide Voter Registration System and the County.

§ 19064. County Security.

§ 19065. Data Restoration After a Recovery Event.

§ 19066. EMS Certification.

§ 19067. Certified EMS.

§ 19068. EMS Changes.

§ 19069. EMS Certification Revocation.

§ 19070. County Change in EMS Vendor.

§ 19071. Required Registration Information.

§ 19072. Deficient Registration Records.

§ 19073. Verification of Voter Identity.

§ 19074. Missing Driver License Number, State Identification Number, and Social Security Number from an Affidavit of Registration.

§ 19075. Additional Identification or Residency Verification to Vote in Federal Elections.

§ 19076. Voter Registration Effective Dates.

§ 19077. Matching Criteria.

§ 19078. National Change of Address Processing.

§ 19079. State Death and Felony Status Records.

§ 19080. DMV Change of Address Notification.

§ 19081. Inactivating and Cancelling Voters.

§ 19082. Confidential Voters.

§ 19083. Synchronization.

§ 19084. Creation of County Administered Local and Statewide Elections.

§ 19085. Election Naming Standards.

§ 19086. Report of Registration.

§ 19087. Official List Extract.

§ 19088. Voter Information Guide.

§ 19089. Pre-Registrants.

§ 19090. Changes in Mapping of Precincts to Statewide Political Jurisdictions.

§ 19091. Vote-By-Mail Ballot Processing and Return Status.

§ 19092. Vote-By-Mail Ballot Reason Codes.

§ 19093. Provisional Ballot Processing and Return Statuses.

§ 19094. Provisional Ballot Reason Codes.

§ 19095. Conditional Voter Registration Provisional Ballot Processing.

§ 19096. Ballot Status.

§ 19097. Voter Participation History.

§ 19098. Certification of County Elections Official.

Article 3. County Programs to Identify and Register Qualified Electors

§ 20000. General.

§ 20001. Minimum Requirements.

§ 20002. Program Emphasis.

§ 20003. Submission of Plan for Outreach Program.

§ 20004. Evaluation.

§ 20005. Cost/Savings Comparison Reports.

§ 20006. Reimbursement of Net Costs. [Repealed]

Article 3.5. Conditional Voter Registration

§ 20020. Purpose.

§ 20021. Definitions.

§ 20022. Affidavit of Registration.

§ 20023. Availability of Conditional Voter Registration; 14-Day Notice to Secretary of State.

§ 20024. Conditional Voter Registration Provisional Ballot Envelope.

§ 20025. Conditional Voter Registration Provisional Ballot Processing and Return Statuses.

§ 20026. Conditional Voter Registration Provisional Ballot Reason Codes.

§ 20027. Voter Participation History.

Article 4. Overseas Citizens Registration and Voting

§ 20050. Overseas Citizen Affidavit of Registration.

§ 20051. Overseas Citizens Absent Voters’ Ballots.

Article 4.5. California New Motor Voter Program

§ 20060. Purpose.

§ 20061. Definitions.

§ 20062. Cancellation of Inadvertent Registration; Confirmation.

§ 20063. Cancellation Request Form.

§ 20064. Voter Education and Outreach Plan.

§ 20065. DMV Customers Who DO Not Attest to Eligibility.

§ 20066. DMV Customers Who Attest to Eligibility but Decline to Register; Notification.

§ 20067. Annual Review.

Article 5. Cancellation of Voter Registration

§ 20070. Notice to Voter.

§ 20075. State Registrar of Vital Statistics to Notify County Elections Official of Deaths of Voting Age Persons that Occur Outside of the County of Residence.

§ 20076. County Elections Official to Provide Secretary of State with Correct Mailing Address to Receive from the State Registrar of Vital Statistics Notification of Out-of-County Deaths.

Article 6. Independent Nomination Petition Signature Verification

§ 20085. Application of Article.

§ 20086. Signature Verification Methods.

§ 20087. Report of Total Signatures.

§ 20088. Random Number List.

§ 20089. Total Signature Reports.

§ 20090. Total Valid Signature Reports.

§ 20091. Duplicate Signatures.

§ 20095. Sign Only One Paper.

Article 7. Voting

§ 20100. Overvotes.

§ 20101. Definitions.

§ 20102. Write-in Vote; NO Office Indicated.

§ 20103. Write-in Vote; Misspelled or Incomplete Name.

§ 20104. Write-in Vote; Misspelled or Incomplete Name, Office Omitted.

§ 20105. Write-in Vote; Wrong Office Indicated.

§ 20106. Voting System Inspection.

§ 20107. Standards for Proof of Residency or Identity when Proof is Required by Help America Vote Act.

Chapter 2. Statewide Voter Registration Database [Repealed]

Chapter 2. Risk Limiting Audits

§ 20110. General Provisions.

§ 20111. Definitions.

§ 20112. Audit Types.

§ 20113. Audit Initiation.

§ 20114. Contests to be Audited.

§ 20115. Audit Board Selection.

§ 20116. Public Education on Risk-Limiting Audits.

§ 20117. Ballot Manifest and Ballot Handling.

§ 20118. Chain of Custody.

§ 20119. Data Publication Prior to Audit.

§ 20120. Random Seed.

§ 20121. Audit Procedures for Single-Phase Audit.

§ 20122. Audit Procedures for Two-Phase Audit.

§ 20123. Ballot Retrieval and Manual Examination.

§ 20124. Public Observation and Verification of Audit.

§ 20125. Certification of Contest Results and Reporting of Audit Results.

§ 20126. Redaction of Personally Identifiable Voter Choices.

Chapter 3. Voting Locations

§ 20130. Purpose.

§ 20131. Definitions.

§ 20132. Drop Box Design and Requirements.

§ 20133. Determination of Drop-off Locations and Number of Drop Boxes.

§ 20134. Accessibility of Ballot Drop Boxes.

§ 20135. Drop-off Location and Drop Box Security.

§ 20136. Drop-off Location and Drop Box Hours. Public Notification. Collection Times.

§ 20137. Ballot Collection Procedures and Chain of Custody.

§ 20138. Processing of Retrieved Ballots.

Chapter 3.5. Early Ballot Retrieval

§ 20140. Purpose.

§ 20141. Definitions.

§ 20142. Notification of Places and Time of Early Ballot Retrieval.

§ 20143. Ballot Collection Procedures and Chain of Custody.§ 20144. Processing of Retrieved Ballots.

Chapter 3.6. Electronic Poll Books

§ 20150. Definitions.

§ 20151. Local Election Management System Use at Polling Locations.

§ 20152. Application.

§ 20153. Technical Data Package.

§ 20154. Cost of Electronic Poll Book Certification Testing.

§ 20155. Application Complete Before Examination Begins.

§ 20156. Examination Testers.

§ 20157. Equipment to Submit for Testing.

§ 20158. System Requirements.

§ 20159. Changes or Modifications to a Certified Electronic Poll Book.

§ 20160. Physical Access and Chain of Custody.

§ 20161. Notification.

§ 20162. Emergency Operations Preparedness Plan.

§ 20163. Equipment Formatting upon End of Canvass.

§ 20164. Disposal or Sale of Electronic Poll Book Equipment.

§ 20165. Testing Prior to an Election.

Chapter 3.7. Voting Locations

§ 20180. Providing Notice on Electioneering.

§ 20181. Providing Notice on Activity Relating to Corruption of the Voting Process.

Chapter 4. Ballot Printing

Article 1. General

Article 2. Definitions

§ 20201. Ballot Card.

§ 20202. Ballot Card Dimension.

§ 20203. Ballot Content.

§ 20204. Ballot on Demand System.

§ 20205. Ballot Paper.

§ 20206. Ballot Printer.

§ 20207. Ballot Style.

§ 20208. Batch Printing.

§ 20209. Facility.

§ 20210. Finish.

§ 20211. Format.

§ 20212. Jurisdiction.

§ 20213. Manufacture.

§ 20214. Test Ballots.

§ 20215. Tint.

§ 20216. Unfinished Ballot Card.

§ 20217. Warehouse.

§ 20218. Watermark.

Article 3. Certification of Ballot Printers

§ 20220. Ballot Printer Certification Required.

§ 20220.5. Ballot on Demand System Certification Required. [Repealed]

§ 20221. Form of Application for Ballot Printer Certification.

§ 20222. Ballot Printer Certification Testing.

§ 20223. Ballot Printer Testing Criteria.

§ 20224. Costs of Ballot Printer Certification Testing.

§ 20225. Inspections of Ballot Printer Facilities Prior to Certification.

§ 20226. Certifying a Ballot Printer.

§ 20227. Subcontracting of Ballot Printing.

§ 20228. Subcontracting of Folding, Stuffing, or Packaging for Shipment of Ballot Cards.

§ 20229. Publish List of Certified Ballot Printers.

§ 20230. Change in Ballot Printing Certification.

§ 20231. Inspections of Ballot Printing Facilities; Enforcement of Regulations.

§ 20232. Revocation of Ballot Printer Certification.

Article 4. Request for and Release, Accounting of Ballot Cards and Unfinished Ballot Cards

§ 20233. Request for Ballot Card Release Required.

§ 20234. Form of Request.

§ 20235. Ballot Card Accounting Record.

§ 20236. Warehouse Inventory Control Record.

§ 20237. Ballot Images Encrypted, Secured, and Transmitted.

§ 20238. Ballot Scrap and Destruction Report.

Article 5. Shipment of Ballot Cards and Unfinished Ballot Cards

§ 20240. Shipment of Unfinished Ballot Cards or Ballot Cards.

§ 20241. Transportation Methods.

§ 20242. Shipment Responsibility.

§ 20245. Activity Report. [Repealed]

§ 20247. Warehouse Inventory Control Record. [Renumbered]

§ 20249. Printing Plate Security; Report. [Repealed]

§ 20249.5. Ballot Images Encrypted and Secured. [Renumbered]

Article 6. Physical Security

§ 20250. Storage and Security.

§ 20251. Warehouse Security.

§ 20252. Authorization for Access.

§ 20253. Warehouse Access Log.

§ 20254. Physical Inventories. [Repealed]

§ 20255. Storage; Security. [Renumbered]

§ 20256. Packaging Ballot Cards. [Repealed]

§ 20257. Shipment of Ballot Cards; Report. [Repealed]

§ 20258. Shipment of Unfinished Ballot Cards; Report. [Renumbered]

§ 20259. Shipment of Sheets; Report. [Repealed]

Article 7. Certification of Ballot on Demand Systems

§ 20260. Ballot on Demand System Certification Required.

§ 20261. Ballot on Demand System Application Form.

§ 20262. Ballot on Demand System Certification Testing.

§ 20263. Ballot on Demand System Certification Testing Criteria.

§ 20264. Costs of Ballot on Demand Certification Testing.

§ 20265. Certifying a Ballot on Demand System.

§ 20266. Publish List of Certified Ballot on Demand Systems.

§ 20267. Change in Ballot on Demand System Certification.

§ 20268. Revocation of Ballot on Demand System Certification.

Article 8. Jurisdiction Approval for Use of a Ballot on Demand System

§ 20270. Jurisdiction Request for Approval for Use.

§ 20271. Jurisdiction Application for Approval for Use.

§ 20272. Jurisdiction Procedures for Use.

§ 20273. Approving a Jurisdiction Application for Use.

§ 20274. Change in Process and Procedures of Use.

§ 20275. Revocation of Approval for Use.

§ 20276. Inspection of Jurisdiction Approved for Use.

§ 20277. Ballot on Demand Audit Requirements.

§ 20278. Ballot Images Encrypted, Secured, and Transmitted.

§ 20279. Testing Ballot Cards Produced by Ballot on Demand System.

Article 9. Tint and Watermark Assignment

§ 20280. Requesting a Tint and Watermark Assignment.

Chapter 5. Election Petition Signature Verification Random Sampling Verification Methodology

Article 1. General Provisions

§ 20510. Purpose.

§ 20511. Scope.

§ 20512. Effective Date.

Article 2. Definitions

§ 20520. Raw Count.

§ 20521. Random Sample of Signatures.

Article 3. Random Sampling Formula for Verification of Elections Petitions

§ 20530. Signature Verification.

§ 20531. Duplicate Signatures.

§ 20532. Number of Valid Signatures Based on the Verification of a Sampling of the Signatures.

§ 20533. Elections Petitions Allowed to be Verified on an on-Going Basis Before the Close of Filing.

Article 4. Miscellaneous

§ 20540. Example.

Chapter 6.1. Procedures and Standards for Reviewing Voting Systems, Parts of a Voting System, and Ballot Marking Devices for Certification or Conditional Approval

§ 20700. Certification of Voting Systems and Voting System Equipment.

§ 20701. Application.

§ 20702. Deposit of Funds into an Agency Trust Account.

§ 20703. Application Complete Before Examination Begins.

§ 20704. Equipment to Submit for Testing.

§ 20705. Examination.

§ 20706. Report of Findings and Hearing.

§ 20707. Changes or Modifications to a Certified Voting System.

Chapter 7. Ballot Designations

§ 20710. General Provisions.

§ 20711. Ballot Designation Worksheet.

§ 20712. Proposed Ballot Designations Submitted Pursuant to Elections Code § 13107, Subdivision (a)(1).

§ 20713. Proposed Ballot Designations Submitted Pursuant to Elections Code S 13107, Subdivision (a)(2).

§ 20714. Proposed Ballot Designations Submitted Pursuant to Elections Code § 13107, Subdivision (a)(3).

§ 20714.5. ”Community Volunteer.”

§ 20715. Proposed Ballot Designations Submitted Pursuant to Elections Code S 13107, Subdivision (a)(4).

§ 20716. Unacceptable Ballot Designations.

§ 20717. Requests for Supporting Documentation.

§ 20718. Communication of Decisions Regarding Ballot Designations.

§ 20719. Service of Legal Process Regarding Ballot Designations.

Chapter 8.1. Recounts

Article 1. General Provisions

§ 20810. Purpose.

§ 20811. Definitions.

§ 20812. Who May Request Recount.

§ 20813. Material to be Examined; Relevant Material.

§ 20814. Order of Recount.

§ 20815. Cost of Recount.

§ 20816. Location of Recount.

§ 20817. Security.

§ 20818. Staffing.

§ 20819. Scheduling.

§ 20820. Spokespersons and Observers.

§ 20821. Media, Photography and Recording Devices.

§ 20822. Results of Recount.

§ 20823. Challenges.

Article 2. Recount of Votes Cast on Ballot Cards or Paper Ballots and Originally Tabulated Automatically

§ 20830. Recounts Using the Type of Vote Tabulating Devices Used in the Election.

§ 20831. Manual Recounts Generally.

§ 20832. Manual Recounts, ”Vote for One” Contests.

§ 20833. Manual Recounts, ”Vote for Multiple” Contests.

Article 3. Recount of Votes Cast on Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems

§ 20840. Recounts on Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems Using Electronic Vote Results.

§ 20841. Automated Recounts on Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems Using Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail Paper Copies.

§ 20842. Manual Recounts of Ballots Cast on Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems Using Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail Paper Copies.

Chapter 8.3. Petition Processing, Signature Verification, Ballot Processing, and Ballot Counting

Article 1. General

§ 20910. Applicability of this Chapter.

Article 2. Petition Format

§ 20920. Petition Format.

Article 3. Petition Signatures and Residence Addresses

§ 20930. Petition Signatures.

§ 20931. Residence Address.

Article 4. Voter Registration Status

§ 20940. Timing of Registration.

§ 20941. Automatic Updates to a Voter’s Registration.

§ 20942. Canceled and Inactive Registrations.

Article 5. Declaration of Circulator

§ 20950. Declaration of Circulator.

Article 6. Signature Comparison

§ 20960. Signature Verification Process.

§ 20961. Signature Verification Technology.

§ 20962. Signature Verification Training.

Article 7. Signature Withdrawal

§ 20970. Signature Withdrawal.

Article 8. Uniform Vote Counting Standards

§ 20980. Purpose of this Article.

§ 20981. Definitions.

§ 20982. General Vote Counting Standards.

§ 20983. Optical Scan Voting Systems.

§ 20984. Other Paper Voting Systems.

§ 20985. Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Systems.

Article 9. Processing of Vote-By-Mail and Provisional Ballots

§ 20990. Vote-By-Mail Ballot Processing and Return Status.

§ 20991. Standards for Valid and Invalid Vote-By-Mail Ballots.

§ 20992. Provisional Ballot Processing and Return Status.

§ 20993. Standards for Valid and Invalid Provisional Ballots.

Chapter 16. Political Reform

Article 1. Cal-Access Software Vendor Certification

§ 22701. Purpose.

§ 22702. Definitions.

§ 22703. Software Vendor Certification.

§ 22704. Certified Software Vendor Security.

§ 22705. System Changes.

§ 22706. Bugs or Defects.

§ 22707. Continued Compliance Verification.

§ 22708. Software Vendor de-Certification.

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One thought on “California Secretary of State Regulations

  1. I am definitely voting for a “Red” SOS in the primary. Not that it will make a difference with the institutionalized voter fraud in California. You know the same communist’s will remain in office.

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