§ 19006. — 19006. (Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 238, Sec. 8.)

It is the intent of the Legislature that:
(a)
All voting systems be certified or conditionally approved by the Secretary of State, independent of voluntary federal qualification or certification, before they are used in future elections to ensure that the voting systems have the ability to meet accuracy, accessibility, and security standards.
(b)
The Secretary of State adopt and publish testing standards that meet the minimum requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 21081 et seq.) and that incorporate best practices in election technology.
(c)
The Secretary of State study and encourage the development of voting systems that use
nonproprietary source code and that are easy to audit.
(d)
A local jurisdiction may use available public funds to purchase and maintain any certified or conditionally approved voting system or part of a voting system.
(e)
California receive the benefits of the publicly funded development of a nonproprietary voting system in the state.
(f)
A local jurisdiction may use available public funds to research and develop a nonproprietary voting system that uses disclosed source codes, including the manufacture of a limited number of voting system units, for use in a pilot program or for submission to the Secretary of State for certification.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 238, Sec. 8. (SB 851) Effective October 1, 2025.