SECTIONS 3200-3206 - California Statutes

ELECTIONS CODE

SECTION 3200-3206

3200. A voter who qualifies under this chapter shall be entitled to
become a permanent vote by mail voter.

3201. Any voter may apply for permanent vote by mail status.
Application for permanent vote by mail status shall be made in
accordance with Section 3001, 3100, or 3304. The voter shall complete
an application, which shall be available from the county elections
official, and which shall contain all of the following:
(a) The applicant's name at length.
(b) The applicant's residence address.
(c) The address where the ballot is to be mailed, if different
from the place of residence.
(d) The signature of the applicant.

3202. In lieu of executing the application set forth in Section
3201, any voter may execute a request for permanent vote by mail
status by making a written request to the county elections official
requesting the status. If a written request is received by the county
elections official and it contains the information set forth in
Section 3201, the elections official shall process that application
in the manner provided in Section 3203.

3203. (a) Upon receipt of an application for permanent vote by mail
status, the county elections official shall process the application
in the same manner as an application for a vote by mail ballot, or,
in the case of an application made pursuant to Section 3100 or 3304,
in the same manner as an application for a special absent voter
ballot or overseas ballot.
(b) In addition to processing applications in accordance with
Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 3000), if it is determined that
the applicant is a registered voter, the county elections official
shall do the following:
(1) Place the voter's name upon a list of those to whom a vote by
mail ballot is sent each time there is an election within their
precinct.
(2) Include in all vote by mail mailings to the voter an
explanation of the vote by mail procedure and an explanation of
Section 3206.
(3) Maintain a copy of the vote by mail ballot list on file open
to public inspection for election and governmental purposes.

3204. The county elections official shall send a copy of the list
of all voters who qualify as permanent vote by mail voters to each
city elections official or district elections official charged with
the duty of conducting an election within the county. The list shall
be sent by the sixth day before an election.

3205. (a) Vote by mail ballots mailed to, and received from, voters
on the permanent vote by mail voter list are subject to the same
deadlines and shall be processed and counted in the same manner as
all other vote by mail ballots.
(b) Prior to each primary election, county elections officials
shall mail to every voter not affiliated with a political party whose
name appears on the permanent vote by mail voter list a notice and
application regarding voting in the primary election. The notice
shall inform the voter that he or she may request a vote by mail
ballot for a particular political party for the primary election, if
that political party adopted a party rule, duly noticed to the
Secretary of State, authorizing these voters to vote in their
primary. The notice shall also contain a toll-free telephone number,
established by the Secretary of State, that the voter may call to
access information regarding which political parties have adopted
such a rule. The application shall contain a checkoff box with a
conspicuously printed statement that reads substantially similar to
the following: "I am not presently affiliated with any political
party. However, for this primary election only, I request a vote by
mail ballot for the ____ Party." The name of the political party
shall be personally affixed by the voter.

3206. A voter whose name appears on the permanent vote by mail
voter list shall remain on the list and shall be mailed a vote by
mail ballot for each election conducted within his or her precinct in
which he or she is eligible to vote. If the voter fails to return an
executed vote by mail ballot in two consecutive statewide general
elections in accordance with Section 3017 the voter's name shall be
deleted from the list.