Section 19218 Of Article 1. Procedures For Certification Of Voting Systems From California Elections Code >> Division 19. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.
19218
. (a) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following
relief for an unauthorized change in hardware, software, or firmware
in a voting system certified or conditionally approved in California:
(1) A civil penalty from the offending party or parties, not to
exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per violation. For purposes of
this subdivision, each voting system component found to contain the
unauthorized hardware, software, or firmware shall be considered a
separate violation. A penalty imposed pursuant to this subdivision
shall be apportioned 50 percent to the county in which the violation
occurred, if applicable, and 50 percent to the office of the
Secretary of State for purposes of bolstering voting systems security
efforts.
(2) Immediate commencement of proceedings to withdraw
certification or conditional approval for the voting system in
question.
(3) Prohibiting the manufacturer or vendor of a voting system from
doing elections-related business in the state for one, two, or three
years.
(4) Refund of all moneys paid by a local agency for a voting
system or a part of a voting system that is compromised by an
unauthorized change or modification, whether or not the voting system
has been used in an election.
(5) Any other remedial actions authorized by law to prevent unjust
enrichment of the offending party.
(b) (1) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following
relief for a known but undisclosed defect, fault, or failure in a
voting system or part of a voting system certified or conditionally
approved in California:
(A) Refund of all moneys paid by a local agency for a voting
system or part of a voting system that is defective due to a known
but undisclosed defect, fault, or failure, whether or not the voting
system has been used in an election.
(B) A civil penalty from the offending party or parties, not to
exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per violation. For purposes
of this subdivision, each defect, fault, or failure shall be
considered a separate violation. A defect, fault, or failure
constitutes a single violation regardless of the number of voting
system units in which the defect, fault, or failure is found.
(C) In addition to any other penalties or remedies established by
this section, the offending party or parties shall be liable in the
amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per day after the applicable
deadline established in Section 19215 until the required disclosure
is filed with the Secretary of State.
(2) A penalty imposed pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (C) of
paragraph (1) shall be deposited in the General Fund.
(c) Before seeking any measure of relief under this section, the
Secretary of State shall hold a public hearing. The Secretary of
State shall give notice of the hearing in the manner prescribed by
Section 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general
circulation published in Sacramento County. The Secretary of State
also shall transmit written notice of the hearing, at least 30 days
prior to the hearing, to each county elections official, the
offending party or parties, a person that the Secretary of State
believes will be interested in the hearing, and a person who
requests, in writing, notice of the hearing.
(d) The decision of the Secretary of State to seek relief under
this section shall be in writing and state his or her findings. The
decision shall be open to public inspection.