CA SB503

Establishes a presumption that signatures on mail-in ballots are valid and requires an exact match is not necessary; signatures with similar characteristics are sufficient for validity.

Requires two additional elections officials to independently find "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a signature differs in "multiple, significant, and obvious respects" before a ballot can be rejected for signature mismatch.

Prohibits elections officials from considering a voter's party preference, race, or ethnicity when comparing signatures and mandates notice to voters within one business day if their signature doesn't match, with opportunity to verify by 5 p.m. two days before certification.

Removes address verification from the procedures that election observers may observe and challenge during mail-in ballot processing.

Requires county elections officials to report to the Secretary of State the number of rejected ballots categorized by reason within 31 days of each election, with the Secretary of State publishing uniform rejection codes and results on its website.