After several weeks of discussions, a bill to allow counties to conduct the June 6 primary by mail is scheduled to be heard next week in a Senate committee.

The bill is AB 707 by Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), and staffers say they expect it to be heard next week in the Senate Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments Committee. Its impetus, in large part, is based on the situation in Alameda County, where their touch-screen voting machines don’t comply with the new state law requiring a paper record of every vote cast.

The dilemma in Alameda and other counties are outlined in a story I recently filed. But while many other counties have systems in place that could be certified for use in June, Alameda elections officials say they won’t have enough time to get enough new machines in place.

AB 707 doesn’t name any particular county; rather, it says any county that meets certain criteria (county officials must approve of the plan, allows some in-person voting, etc.) would be eligible.

But the bill faces some significant hurdles. Because it’s an urgency measure, AB 707 will need bipartisan support in both chambers. And in the past, some Republicans have opposed some all-mail balloting proposals over fears of voter fraud.

And even if it does get enough votes, can AB 707 get out of the Legislature and past the governor in time? Many elections officials have said that mid-March is the latest they can wait before beginning preparations for the June primary.