Remote accessible vote by mail systems: testing and examination: report.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Bill Essayli

The bill requires the Secretary of State to publicly post online the certification status of any tested remote accessible vote by mail system within 60 days of examination.

Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

#remoteaccessiblevotebymailsystems #report #testingandexamination

AB 1259 (Essayli): Remote accessible vote by mail systems — testing, examination, and report

Purpose and intent

AB 1259 seeks to enhance transparency around the testing and certification of remote accessible vote by mail (RAVBM) systems. It builds on existing law requiring the Secretary of State (SOS) to test, examine, and certify or conditionally approve such systems, and to publicly disclose the certification decision within 60 days after the examination. The bill adds a specific requirement to publish the certification status report on the SOS website.

What the bill would do

Add a requirement that the Secretary of State publish the certification status report for a tested RAVBM system on the SOS internet website, in addition to any other public disclosure.

Maintain the existing process and criteria: a system is tested and examined to determine accuracy and efficiency, and the SOS can certify, conditionally approve, or deny certification.

Keep the 60-day reporting deadline after completion of the examination.

Key provisions (as amended by AB 1259)

Section 19288 would require: Within 60 days after the completion of the examination of a remote accessible vote by mail system, the SOS shall publicly publish a report stating whether the system has been certified, has been conditionally approved, or whether certification has been withheld, and this report must be published on the SOS website as well as any other public channels.

The bill does not change the substantive certification criteria or decision options; it adds a publication requirement specifically on the internet.

Who would be affected

Secretary of State: responsible for conducting examinations, making certification determinations, and publishing the report online.

Vendors of remote accessible vote by mail systems: their certification status (certified, conditionally approved, or denied) will be made publicly accessible online within the 60-day window.

California election officials and voters: gain faster, easier online access to the certification status of RAVBM systems.

The general public and researchers: improved transparency and verifiability of the certification process.

Timeline and procedural notes

Introduced: February 21, 2025.

Read first time: February 24, 2025.

From printer: February 22, 2025.

Referred to Committee on Elections: March 10, 2025.

The core deadline remains: 60 days after completion of an examination to publish the report online.

Fiscal and procedural context

Digest indicates a Majority vote requirement; Appropriation: No.

Fiscal Committee: Yes (reflecting potential costs to publish online information, though no new funding is specified in the bill).

Local program: No.

Summary

AB 1259 strengthens transparency by ensuring that the Secretary of State publicly posts, on the internet, the certification status of any tested remote accessible vote by mail system within 60 days of examination. It preserves existing certification pathways (certified, conditionally approved, or denied) and simply codifies online publication to improve accessibility of information for vendors, election officials, and the public.