California Elections Code 19293 – (a) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following relief …
(a) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following relief for an unauthorized change in hardware, software, or firmware in a remote accessible vote by mail system certified or conditionally approved in California:
(1) A civil penalty from the offending party or parties, not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per violation. For purposes of this subdivision, each remote accessible vote by mail system component found to contain the unauthorized hardware, software, or firmware shall be considered a separate violation. A penalty imposed pursuant to this subdivision shall be apportioned 50 percent to the county in which the violation occurred, if applicable, and 50 percent to the office of the Secretary of State for purposes of bolstering remote accessible vote by mail system security efforts.
Terms Used In California Elections Code 19293
- Defect: means any flaw in the hardware or documentation of a remote accessible vote by mail system that could result in a state of unfitness for use or nonconformance to the manufacturer's specifications or applicable law. See California Elections Code 19284
- Election: means any election including a primary that is provided for under this code. See California Elections Code 318
- Elections official: means any of the following:
California Elections Code 320
- Failure: means a discrepancy between the external results of the operation of any software or firmware in a remote accessible vote by mail system and the manufacturer's product requirements for that software or firmware or applicable law. See California Elections Code 19284
- Fault: means a step, process, or data definition in any software or firmware in a ballot marking system that is incorrect under the manufacturer's program specification or applicable law. See California Elections Code 19284
- Measure: means any constitutional amendment or other proposition submitted to a popular vote at any election. See California Elections Code 329
- Party: means a political party or organization that has qualified for participation in any primary or presidential general election. See California Elections Code 338
- Remote accessible vote by mail system: means a mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic system and its software that is used for the sole purpose of marking an electronic vote by mail ballot for a voter who shall print the paper cast vote record to be submitted to the elections official. See California Elections Code 303.3
- Software: includes all programs, voting devices, cards, ballot cards or papers, operating manuals or instructions, test procedures, printouts, and other nonmechanical or nonelectrical items necessary to the operation of a voting system. See California Elections Code 355
(2) Immediate commencement of proceedings to withdraw certification or conditional approval for the remote accessible vote by mail system in question.
(3) Prohibiting the manufacturer or vendor of a remote accessible vote by mail system from doing elections-related business in the state for one, two, or three years.
(4) Refund of all moneys paid by a local agency for a remote accessible vote by mail system or a part of a remote accessible vote by mail system that is compromised by an unauthorized change or modification, whether or not the remote accessible vote by mail system has been used in an election.
(5) Any other remedial actions authorized by law to prevent unjust enrichment of the offending party.
(b) (1) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following relief for a known but undisclosed defect, fault, or failure in a remote accessible vote by mail system or part of a remote accessible vote by mail system certified or conditionally approved in California:
(A) Refund of all moneys paid by a local agency for a remote accessible vote by mail system or part of a remote accessible vote by mail system that is defective due to a known but undisclosed defect, fault, or failure, whether or not the remote accessible vote by mail system has been used in an election.
(B) A civil penalty from the offending party or parties, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per violation. For purposes of this subdivision, each defect, fault, or failure shall be considered a separate violation. A defect, fault, or failure constitutes a single violation regardless of the number of remote accessible vote by mail system units in which the defect, fault, or failure is found.
(C) In addition to any other penalties or remedies established by this section, the offending party or parties shall be liable in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per day after the applicable deadline established in Section 19290 until the required disclosure is filed with the Secretary of State.
(2) A penalty imposed pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (1) shall be deposited in the General Fund.
(c) Before seeking any measure of relief under this section, the Secretary of State shall hold a public hearing. The Secretary of State shall give notice of the hearing in the manner prescribed by § 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation published in Sacramento County. The Secretary of State also shall transmit written notice of the hearing, at least 30 days prior to the hearing, to each county elections official, the offending party or parties, any persons that the Secretary of State believes will be interested in the hearing, and any persons who request, in writing, notice of the hearing.
(d) The decision of the Secretary of State to seek relief under this section shall be in writing and state his or her findings. The decision shall be open to public inspection.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 75, Sec. 19. (AB 2252) Effective January 1, 2017.)