Session:   
Updated:   2026-02-04

Bill Full Text

Home - Bills - Bill - Authors - Dates - Locations - Analyses - Organizations

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<ns0:MeasureDoc xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:ns0="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1#" xmlns:ns3="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="1.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1# xca.1.xsd">
        


        <ns0:Description>
                <ns0:Id>20250SB__040699INT</ns0:Id>
                <ns0:VersionNum>99</ns0:VersionNum>
                <ns0:History>
                        <ns0:Action>
                                <ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
                                <ns0:ActionDate>2025-02-14</ns0:ActionDate>
                        </ns0:Action>
                </ns0:History>
                <ns0:LegislativeInfo>
                        <ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
                        <ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
                        <ns0:MeasureType>SB</ns0:MeasureType>
                        <ns0:MeasureNum>406</ns0:MeasureNum>
                        <ns0:MeasureState>INT</ns0:MeasureState>
                </ns0:LegislativeInfo>
                <ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Choi</ns0:AuthorText>
                <ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Grove, Jones, Niello, and Seyarto)</ns0:AuthorText>
                <ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_OPPOSITE">(Coauthors: Assembly Members Castillo, DeMaio, and Essayli)</ns0:AuthorText>
                <ns0:Authors>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Choi</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Alvarado-Gil</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Grove</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Jones</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Niello</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Seyarto</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Castillo</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>DeMaio</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                        <ns0:Legislator>
                                <ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
                                <ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
                                <ns0:Name>Essayli</ns0:Name>
                        </ns0:Legislator>
                </ns0:Authors>
                <ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 3020, 3117, and 4103 of the Elections Code, relating to elections. </ns0:Title>
                <ns0:RelatingClause>elections</ns0:RelatingClause>
                <ns0:GeneralSubject>
                        <ns0:Subject>Elections: ballot submission deadline.</ns0:Subject>
                </ns0:GeneralSubject>
                <ns0:DigestText>
                        <html:p>Under existing law, a vote-by-mail ballot is timely cast if it is postmarked or otherwise time-stamped on or before election day and received in the mail no later than 7 days after election day.</html:p>
                        <html:p>This bill would instead require a vote-by-mail ballot to be returned to the applicable elections official no later than the close of the polls on election day, except that the bill would require a vote-by-mail ballot cast by a military or overseas voter to be counted if it is postmarked on or before election day and received no later than 7 days after election day.</html:p>
                </ns0:DigestText>
                <ns0:DigestKey>
                        <ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
                        <ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
                        <ns0:FiscalCommittee>NO</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
                        <ns0:LocalProgram>NO</ns0:LocalProgram>
                </ns0:DigestKey>
                <ns0:MeasureIndicators>
                        <ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
                        <ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
                                <ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
                                <ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
                                <ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
                                <ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
                                <ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
                                <ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
                        </ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
                </ns0:MeasureIndicators>
        </ns0:Description>
        <ns0:Bill id="bill">
                <ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
                <ns0:BillSection id="id_448D757E-F5CC-4F51-8910-F3D573FAD532">
                        <ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
                        <ns0:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" ns3:href="urn:caml:codes:ELEC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'3.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'3020.'%5D)" ns3:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" ns3:type="locator">
                                Section 3020 of the
                                <ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
                                 is amended to read:
                        </ns0:ActionLine>
                        <ns0:Fragment>
                                <ns0:LawSection id="id_A3A90B32-9E7F-45F9-895E-DA217CD10FA1">
                                        <ns0:Num>3020.</ns0:Num>
                                        <ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_E0328CF5-14AF-4ACE-B72A-F6023167EFF9">
                                                <ns0:Content>
                                                        <html:p>All vote by mail ballots cast under this chapter shall be received by the elections official from whom they were obtained or by the precinct board no later than the close of the polls on election day.</html:p>
                                                </ns0:Content>
                                        </ns0:LawSectionVersion>
                                </ns0:LawSection>
                        </ns0:Fragment>
                </ns0:BillSection>
                <ns0:BillSection id="id_5DFD943C-B17D-4470-AC09-E00C70877686">
                        <ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
                        <ns0:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" ns3:href="urn:caml:codes:ELEC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'3.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'2.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'3117.'%5D)" ns3:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" ns3:type="locator">
                                Section 3117 of the
                                <ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
                                 is amended to read:
                        </ns0:ActionLine>
                        <ns0:Fragment>
                                <ns0:LawSection id="id_7CC68E4E-B343-4455-A386-0D4B6ABC7BC5">
                                        <ns0:Num>3117.</ns0:Num>
                                        <ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_8BB77B6F-5086-476E-8627-8B81749AAE2A">
                                                <ns0:Content>
                                                        <html:p>A valid ballot cast pursuant to this chapter shall be counted if it is postmarked on or before election day and received by the elections official no later than seven days after election day.</html:p>
                                                </ns0:Content>
                                        </ns0:LawSectionVersion>
                                </ns0:LawSection>
                        </ns0:Fragment>
                </ns0:BillSection>
                <ns0:BillSection id="id_D0E4C193-3CA6-4E53-8E7E-64DC27723069">
                        <ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
                        <ns0:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" ns3:href="urn:caml:codes:ELEC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'4.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'2.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'4103.'%5D)" ns3:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" ns3:type="locator">
                                Section 4103 of the
                                <ns0:DocName>Elections Code</ns0:DocName>
                                 is amended to read:
                        </ns0:ActionLine>
                        <ns0:Fragment>
                                <ns0:LawSection id="id_8CB45B56-7FCF-480C-8B9D-2E2F148649B7">
                                        <ns0:Num>4103.</ns0:Num>
                                        <ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_A51CB8B3-8C57-4766-A21C-AE2165EEB0E0">
                                                <ns0:Content>
                                                        <html:p>
                                                                (a)
                                                                <html:span class="EnSpace"/>
                                                                Ballots cast under this chapter shall be returned to the elections official from whom they were obtained no later than the close of polls on election day.
                                                        </html:p>
                                                        <html:p>
                                                                (b)
                                                                <html:span class="EnSpace"/>
                                                                Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a ballot cast by a military or overseas voter shall be counted if it is postmarked on or before election day and received by the elections official no later than seven days after election day.
                                                        </html:p>
                                                </ns0:Content>
                                        </ns0:LawSectionVersion>
                                </ns0:LawSection>
                        </ns0:Fragment>
                </ns0:BillSection>
        </ns0:Bill>
</ns0:MeasureDoc>