After the close of the period for requesting vote by mail voter ballots by mail any voter unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability resulting in his or her confinement in a hospital, sanatorium, nursing home, or place of residence, or any voter unable because of a physical handicap to go to his or her polling place or because of that handicap is unable to vote at his or her polling place due to existing architectural barriers at his or her polling place denying him or her physical access to the polling place, voting booth, or voting apparatus or machinery, or any voter unable to go to his or her polling place because of conditions resulting in his or her absence from the precinct for an election may request in a written statement, signed under penalty of perjury that a ballot be delivered to him or her. This written statement shall not be required if the vote by mail ballot is voted in the office of the elections official as defined by subdivision (b) of Section 3018, at the time of the request. This ballot shall be delivered by the elections official to any authorized representative of the voter who presents this written statement to the elections official.

Before delivering the ballot the elections official may compare the signature on the request with the signature on the voter’s affidavit of registration, but in any event, the signature shall be compared before the vote by mail ballot is canvassed.

The voter shall mark the ballot, place it in the identification envelope, fill out and sign the envelope and return the ballot, personally or through the authorized representative, to either the elections official or any polling place within the jurisdiction.

These ballots shall be processed and counted in the same manner as other vote by mail ballots.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 806, Sec. 24. (SB 286) Effective January 1, 2018.)