(a) When a voter declares under oath, administered by any member of the precinct board at the time the voter appears at the polling place to vote, that the voter is then unable to mark a ballot, the voter shall receive the assistance of not more than two persons selected by the voter, other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of the union of which the voter is a member.
(b) The county elections official shall provide information on the county elections Internet Web site and in the county voter information guide informing voters that a voter who is unable to mark a ballot may bring up to two individuals to the polls to assist them in voting as specified in subdivision (a). The information shall be available in all languages for which the county has requirements under Section 14201 of this code and Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10101 et seq.).
(c) A person assisting a voter shall not divulge any information regarding the marking of the ballot.
(d) In those polling places that are inaccessible under the guidelines promulgated by the Secretary of State for accessibility by the physically handicapped, a physically handicapped person may appear outside the polling place and vote a regular ballot. The person may vote the ballot in a place that is as near as possible to the polling place and that is accessible to the physically handicapped. A precinct board member shall take a regular ballot to that person, qualify that person to vote, and return the voted ballot to the polling place. In those precincts in which it is impractical to vote a regular ballot outside the polling place, vote by mail ballots shall be provided in sufficient numbers to accommodate physically handicapped persons who present themselves on election day. The vote by mail ballot shall be presented to and voted by a physically handicapped person in the same manner as a regular ballot may be voted by that person outside the polling place.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 845, Sec. 10. (AB 918) Effective January 1, 2018.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018