This week, the Legislature adopted Assembly Bill 120 (Assembly Budget Committee) which would provide $16.2 million in funding for counties to support activities related to the upcoming June 2016 Primary Election. Due to conducting the June 7, 2016 Primary Election and simultaneously addressing an unprecedented amount of initiative signature verifications, counties requested the Legislature and the Brown Administration provide assistance with these elections’ costs. Under the bill, counties will be reimbursed by the State Controller based on a formula that will be provided to each county by May 1, 2016.
While this is welcome news to California’s counties as a whole, there will be significant increased costs associated with the upcoming November elections due to higher anticipated voter turnout. Legislators have expressed a strong desire to visit those anticipated costs before the Legislature adjourns the 2016 Session on September 1.
RCRC will continue to support efforts to secure additional monies to support these activities, as well as efforts to reimburse counties for what the Department of Finance estimates is roughly a $120 million backlog in state-mandated elections programs (See DOF report accessed here) and the costs of conducting special elections when there are vacancies in a legislative seat.
RCRC’s joint support letter can be accessed here.