Article 5. Polling Places of California Elections Code >> Division 12. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 5.

When designating polling places, the elections official shall undertake necessary measures in the locating of polling places to ensure that polling places meet the guidelines promulgated by the Secretary of State for accessibility by the physically handicapped.

(a) If, for any valid reason, the polling place designated for any precinct cannot be used, and this fact is known in sufficient time to allow a mailed notice to be received before the election, the elections official may designate another polling place and shall mail, to each voter in the precinct a notice showing this change.
  (b) If the information is not known in sufficient time for a mailing pursuant to subdivision (a), either the elections official or, in the case of an emergency, the precinct board on the day of election, shall designate another polling place as near the place first designated as possible, post notice on or near the place first designated, and conduct the election at the new location.

Property exempted from taxation pursuant to Section 214 of the Revenue and Taxation Code shall be made available free of charge to the elections official for use as a polling place pursuant to Section 213.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(a) The governing body having jurisdiction over school buildings or other public buildings may authorize the use of its buildings for polling places on any election day, and may also authorize the use of its buildings, without cost, for the storage of voting machines and other vote-tabulating devices. However, if a city or county elections official specifically requests the use of a school building for polling places on an election day, the governing body having jurisdiction over the particular school building shall allow its use for the purpose requested. When allowing use of a school building for polling places, the governing body may, but is not required to, do any of the following:
  (1) Continue school in session, provided that the governing body shall identify to the elections official making the request the specific areas of the school buildings not occupied by school activities that will be allowed for use as polling places.
  (2) Designate the day for staff training and development.
  (3) Close the school to students and nonclassified employees. Classified employees are those so defined by Section 41401 of the Education Code.
  (b) An elections official making a request for use of a school building pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include in his or her request a list of the schools from which the use of a building for polling places is needed. Requests must be made within sufficient time in advance of the school year for the governing body to determine, on a school-by-school or districtwide basis, whether to keep the affected schools in session, designate the schoolday for staff training and development, or close the school to students and nonclassified employees before school calendars are printed and distributed to parents.
  (c) Once a governing body has approved the use of a school building as a polling place, the governing body shall instruct the school administrator to provide the elections official a site with an adequate amount of space that will allow the precinct board to perform its duties in a manner that will not impede, interfere, or interrupt the normal process of voting and to make a telephone line for Internet access available for use by local elections officials, if requested by those officials.
  (d) The school administrator shall also make a reasonable effort to ensure that the site is accessible to the handicapped.

Upon request of the elections official, state-owned buildings, parking lots, and other facilities shall be made available free of charge for use as polling places, except that the Department of General Services may exclude from use as polling places state facilities at which access to confidential materials cannot be reasonably safeguarded, which are inaccessible to the public, the use of which would disrupt state business, or which are otherwise impractical for use as polling places.

A mobilehome may be used as a polling place if the elections official determines that no other facilities are available for the convenient exercise of voting rights by mobilehome park residents and the mobilehome is designated as a polling place by the elections official pursuant to Section 12286. No rental agreement shall prohibit the use of a mobilehome for those purposes.

(a) At least 29 days prior to the election, the elections official shall do all of the following:
  (1) Establish a convenient number of election precincts within the affected jurisdiction.
  (2) Define the precinct boundaries.
  (3) Designate a polling place for each precinct.
  (4) Appoint for each precinct a precinct board pursuant to Sections 12302 to 12304, inclusive.
  (5) Notify the members of each precinct board of their appointment and the location of the precinct and polling place where they will serve.
  (b) The elections official, in establishing precincts and defining their boundaries, shall, to the extent practicable, provide for a single polling place where a voter entitled to vote in more than one district may cast all of his or her ballots.
  (c) In a landowner voting district, the county elections official shall designate the polling place at which a nonresident landowner shall vote.

A candidate's residence shall not be designated as a polling place for an election at which that candidate's name will appear on the ballot.

A single-family residence shall not be designated as a polling place if elections officials determine that it has the registered address of a person who is required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act. Elections officials shall, not more than 60 days prior to designating a single-family residence as a polling place, use the Megan's Law Internet Web site maintained by the Department of Justice to determine if the residence has the registered address of a sex offender. In accordance with subdivision (k) of Section 290.46 of the Penal Code, an elections official who is required to register as a sex offender shall be prohibited from accessing the Megan's Law public Internet Web site.

A place where the primary purpose of the establishment is the sale and dispensation of alcoholic beverages may not be used as a polling place. A polling place may not be connected by a door, window, or other opening with any place where any alcoholic beverage is sold or dispensed while the polls are open.