Notwithstanding any law, vote by mail voting shall be allowed in lieu of voting by proxy in an landowner district election in which voting by proxy is allowed if, at least 110 days before the election, the governing board of the district adopts this section. If a district adopts this section, the voting shall be conducted as follows:

(a) The vote by mail ballot shall be available to any eligible voter of the district.

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(b) The form of application for the ballot shall be distributed to each voter with the voter information guide and shall contain spaces for each of the following:

(1) The printed name and address of the voter.

(2) The address to which the ballot is to be mailed.

(3) The voter’s signature.

(4) The authorization of a legal representative, as defined in § 34030 of the Water Code, to receive the vote by mail voter’s ballot if the voter so chooses.

(5) The name and date of the election for which the request is made.

(6) The date the application shall be received by the county elections official, which date shall be at least seven days before the election.

(7) The insertion of the voter information guide name and address label on the application.

(c) Upon receipt of vote by mail ballot application and verification that it has been properly completed, the county elections official shall mail vote by mail voter’s ballot to the voter or legal representative with an identification envelope, which shall contain each of the following:

(1) A declaration under penalty of perjury stating that the voter is entitled to vote in the election.

(2) Space for the signature of the voter or legal representative and the date of signing.

(3) A notice that the envelope contains an official ballot and is to be opened only by the appropriate elections officials.

(d) The voting shall be pursuant to those additional procedures, if any, that the county elections official shall deem necessary to the proper conduct of the election, provided that the overall additional procedures shall substantially comply with Division 3 (commencing with Section 3000) and Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15000) of Division 15, and shall be consistent with landowner voting requirements.

(e) Notwithstanding Section 10525, the list of voters for landowner voting district elections in which vote by mail voting is allowed shall be delivered to the county elections official at least 40 days before the election.

(f) The voter information guide for landowner voting district elections in which vote by mail voting is allowed shall be mailed at least 20 days before the election.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 422, Sec. 56. (AB 2911) Effective January 1, 2017.)