California State Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) announced his bill to bring more transparency and trust to the elections process by creating a uniform timeline for ballot curing cleared the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments.

“Ballots are sometimes rejected because of missing or mismatched signatures. It has happened to me. Before invalidating a ballot, county elections officials take an extra step to validate those signatures and ‘cure’ those ballots by reaching out directly to the voter,” said Wilk. “Unfortunately every county does this differently. My bill adds consistency and transparency to the curing process so that everyone including constituents, candidates and election officials are on the same timeline to validate these signatures.”

Senate Bill 518 (SB 518) would adjust the certification period for elections in the state of California to make it uniform across all counties.

During an election, counties are able to submit election results to the Secretary of State up to 30 days after election night. This time allows registrars to validate any signatures in question. After their results are submitted, the Secretary of State certifies the election results.

“I want to ensure every ballot is counted and everyone involved in the election process is on the same timeline. Consistency is common sense if we are to foster public trust and confidence in California’s election system,” said Wilk.

Wilk represents the 21st Senate District, which includes the Antelope, Santa Clarita and Victor valleys.