Elections Division
Election Observations Rights and Responsibilities
The Secretary of State has submitted proposed regulations to the Office of Administrative Law, which provide for election observations rights and responsibilities. The regulations provide guidance for observers and elections officials to follow.
Any interested person, or their authorized representative, may submit written comments pertaining to the text of the proposed regulations. The Secretary of State will accept written comments on the proposed regulations from July 29, 2022, to September 12, 2022. The Secretary of State will consider only comments received at the Secretary of State’s office by that date. No hearing date has been scheduled; however, any interested person, or their authorized representative, can submit a written request for a public hearing no later than Monday, August 29, 2022.
- Notice of Proposed Regulatory Action (PDF)
- Text of Proposed Regulations (PDF)
- Initial Statement of Reasons (PDF)
Experimental Use of a Voting System in a Pilot Program
The Secretary of State has submitted proposed regulations to the Office of Administrative Law related to the experimental use of a voting system in a pilot program on August 5, 2022. The regulations provide California jurisdictions a clear, concise path when seeking the experimental use of a voting system in a pilot program. In addition, they provide clear and concise regulations for jurisdictions using an experimental voting system. The final rulemaking file was submitted to the Office of Administrative Law on February 17, 2023. The Office of Administrative Law has 30 working days to conduct a review of the rulemaking record.
