The Assembly Military and Veteran Affairs Committee advanced SB 970 on June 30, moving the bill to Appropriations after members discussed how military and overseas voters could return ballots now that the Defense Department fax service has ended.
According to the committee’s hearing summary, the bill would direct the Secretary of State to write regulations for a secure ballot-return method. The same summary says the measure was presented as a response to the loss of the fax option used by some overseas voters.
The committee packet also says the Secretary of State’s office took a neutral position and raised election-security concerns, while some voting-access advocates and county officials backed the proposal. A separate summary of the hearing says election-security advocates preferred a task-force approach instead of immediate regulations.
The vote was recorded as 6-0 with the roll left open, and later described as seven votes after an add-on roll call, according to the committee materials.
SB 970 is part of a broader effort to preserve ballot access for Californians serving abroad or living overseas, a group that can face added mail and transmission hurdles during elections.
