Palm Desert Assemblyman Proposes Elections Bill

California Assemblyman Brian Nestande (R-Palm Desert) proposed new legislation last week in Sacramento that he says would prevent late-arriving ballots from being cast aside during elections.

He says his legislation is in response to the 12,500 Moreno Valley voters whose absentee ballots were not counted on election night. He says they were in the post office by 8pm, but were not delivered to the registrar’s office.

“These voters should have their votes counted,” said Nestande. “Through no fault of their own and due to current law, they are being disenfranchised and it is imperative to ensure this does not happen in the future.”

Assembly Bill 2642 would allow absentee ballots postmarked by the postal service on or before Election Day to be counted as long as the Registrar has not yet certified the election results. Since certification can take up to 28 days after Election Day, this measure would allow a voter to mail their absentee ballot on Election Day and still be tabulated.