Section 19293 Of Chapter 3.5. Certification Of Ballot Marking Systems From California Elections Code >> Division 19. >> Chapter 3.5.
19293
. (a) The Secretary of State may seek all of the following
relief for an unauthorized change in hardware, software, or firmware
in a ballot marking 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 ballot marking 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 ballot marking
system security efforts.
(2) Immediate commencement of proceedings to withdraw
certification or conditional approval for the ballot marking system
in question.
(3) Prohibiting the manufacturer or vendor of a ballot marking
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 ballot
marking system or a part of a ballot marking system that is
compromised by an unauthorized change or modification, whether or not
the ballot marking 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
ballot marking system or part of a ballot marking system certified or
conditionally approved in California:
(A) Refund of all moneys paid by a local agency for a ballot
marking system or part of a ballot marking system that is defective
due to a known but undisclosed defect, fault, or failure, whether or
not the ballot marking 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 ballot
marking 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 19290 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, any persons that the Secretary of State
believes will be interested in the hearing, and any persons who
request, 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.