Elections. Use Of Internet For Voter Registration And Voting.

ELECTIONS. USE OF INTERNET FOR VOTER REGISTRATION AND VOTING. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Authorizes use of Internet for electronic voter registration and for casting ballots in direct primary elections, statewide general elections, special elections, and other public elections. Specifies standards for Internet voting systems. Requires Secretary of State to test and certify voting systems, to accredit means of identifying and authenticating voters, to protect voter confidentiality, and to adopt rules and regulations governing Internet voting procedures. Requires counties to offer Internet option to all voters. Criminalizes efforts to interfere with Internet election system; specifies penalties. Preserves traditional voting methods. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: One-time costs to local governments, probably several tens of millions of dollars statewide, for initial establishment of Internet registration and voting systems, with ongoing annual costs probably ranging from the millions of dollars to the low tens of millions of dollars statewide. One-time costs to State of developing standards for Internet voting and registration and of implementing other provisions, probably in the tens of millions of dollars, with ongoing implementation costs that could reach several million dollars annually. State costs could be partly offset to the extent that fees are charged to local governments or private vendors seeking accreditation of Internet election systems