Committee advances SB 1418 to extend custody protections to voting systems and records

Senators advanced SB 1418 after its author presented the bill as a follow-up to earlier legislation intended to protect ballots and election evidence. The author said press-unsealed warrants in the Riverside matter showed existing protections for voted ballots did not cover other records and voting systems; "In March of this year Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco seized more than 600,000 voted ballots," the author said, using the seizure as background for the bill.

Tiffany Rocotte, deputy attorney general in the office of legislative affairs, testified on behalf of Attorney General Rob Bonta that SB 1418 "protects sensitive election documents and equipment from being seized and removed from the physical custody of elections officials" and asked for an I vote. The author noted SB 1418 includes an urgency clause so that if signed by the governor, its provisions could apply in time for the November gubernatorial election. The committee called the roll and the chair announced the vote as 4 to 1, advancing the bill out of committee.