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Measure

SB 398

Authors

Umberg
Coauthors: Becker Lee

Subject

Election crimes: payment based on voting or voter registration.

Relating To

relating to elections.

Title

An act to add Section 18107.5 to the Elections Code, relating to elections.

Last Action Dt

2025-10-02

State

Chaptered

Status

Chaptered

Active?

Vote Required

Majority

Appropriation

Fiscal Committee

Yes

Local Program

Yes

Substantive Changes

None

Urgency

Tax Levy

Leginfo Link

Bill

Actions

2025-10-02		Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 246, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-02		Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-17		Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-10		Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2829.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-08		In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-08		Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2993.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-02		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29		From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-08-29		Coauthors revised.
2025-08-20		August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-16		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-03		Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-07-02		From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2).
2025-06-05		Referred to Coms. on ELECTIONS and PUB. S.
2025-05-29		In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-29		Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1335.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-23		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23		From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1199.) (May 23).
2025-05-16		Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-05		May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-04-25		Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-23		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 841.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-21		From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-04-09		Set for hearing April 22.
2025-04-01		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 609.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-03-20		Set for hearing April 1.
2025-02-26		Referred to Coms. on E. & C.A. and PUB. S.
2025-02-18		From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 17.
2025-02-14		Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Keywords

Tags

Versions

Chaptered		2025-10-02
Enrolled		2025-09-12
Amended Assembly		2025-07-03
Amended Senate		2025-04-21
Introduced		2025-02-14

Last Version Text

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		<ns0:Title>An act to add Section 18107.5 to the Elections Code, relating to elections. </ns0:Title>
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			<ns0:Subject>Election crimes: payment based on voting or voter registration.</ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Under existing law, it is a crime for a person to receive money or other valuable consideration to assist another to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration if the person fails to sign the affidavit and include certain other information, including the name and telephone number of the person, company, or organization, if any, that has agreed to pay the money or other valuable consideration.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would make it a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or both, for a person to knowingly or willfully pay or offer to pay money or other valuable consideration to another person with the intent to induce the person to vote or to register to vote, or where the payment is contingent upon whether the person voted or the person’s voter registration status. By creating a new crime, this
		bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
			<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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				Section 18107.5 is added to the 
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				, to read:
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								(a)
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								(1)
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								A person who knowingly or willfully pays or offers to pay money or other valuable consideration to another person with the intent to induce the person to vote or to register to vote, or where the payment is contingent upon whether the person voted or the person’s voter registration status, is guilty of a crime.
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								(2)
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								For purposes of paragraph (1), “other valuable consideration” includes, but is not limited to, a chance to win a lottery or similar prize-drawing contest.
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								(3)
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								This section does not apply to any of the following:
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								(A)
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								Transportation to or from a voting location.
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								(B)
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								Compensation provided to an individual by a governmental entity.
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								(C)
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								Granting time off to an employee to vote.
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								(b)
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								A violation of subdivision (a) shall be punishable by a fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
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					No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
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					B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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					B of the California Constitution.
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Last Version Text Digest

Under existing law, it is a crime for a person to receive money or other valuable consideration to assist another to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration if the person fails to sign the affidavit and include certain other information, including the name and telephone number of the person, company, or organization, if any, that has agreed to pay the money or other valuable consideration.