Press Release

Cervantes’ Landmark California Voting Rights Act of 2026 Approved by Senate Committees

(SACRAMENTO) – Two Senate committees approved landmark legislation Tuesday, The California Voting Rights Act of 2026, by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside). Senate Bill 1164 and Senate Bill 1360, collectively termed CVRA 2026, were both approved by the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee, and SB 1164 was also approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. CVRA 2026 will fight voter suppression and vote dilution, expand access to the ballot and election materials for limited-English proficient voters, and provide the Attorney General and California voters with more tools to enforce voting rights laws. 

 

“We cannot stand by while Donald Trump and his allies attempt to dismantle our democracy piece by piece. I’m proud to author the California Voting Rights Act of 2026 to preserve democracy in California. We must never allow the suppression or dilution of the votes of historically disenfranchised communities or discrimination against limited-English-proficient voters,” said Senator Cervantes. “Thank you to the members of the Senate committees who voted to advance this essential legislation that will position California to defend our democracy against new attacks.” 

 

With sponsorship from the California Democracy Partnership, a powerful group of labor leaders, voting rights advocates, and community organizers, CVRA 2026 is also supported by roughly two dozen organizations, including the SEIU California, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, ACLU California Action, California Common Cause, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black Leadership Council, AAPIs for Civic Empowerment, California Federation of Teachers and Hmong Innovating Politics.

 

Recent polling discovered that two-thirds of California voters believe our democracy is under attack and that they voiced overwhelming support for state lawmakers to strengthen voter protections.

 

“The CVRA of 2026 is a vital step toward a more just and inclusive democracy. It closes loopholes by strengthening the CVRA to cover district-based systems, stops repeat violations before they occur, and gives communities and individuals stronger tools to fight voter suppression. By ensuring our laws are interpreted to protect voters, this legislation continues historical efforts to build a democracy that is upheld by fairness, accountability, and due process,” added Kristin Nimmers, Policy & Campaigns Manager of the Black Power Network, who testified in support of the Act.

 

CVRA 2026 will:

  • Enshrine language assistance requirements provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 in state law: Codify Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provides in-language votable ballots and all other election materials to groups that meet a certain threshold in a county.
  • Expand upon current Section 203 language coverage: Lower the numerical threshold in Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 for language assistance from 10,000 voting-age citizens to 5,000 in a county and expand upon the language minority categories in Section 203 to include all language groups.
  • Streamline and clarify the steps for language groups to receive assistance in voting: Give groups not adequately captured in the Census the opportunity to show, through other sources, that they should qualify for language assistance.
  • Streamline and clarify the steps for language groups to receive assistance in voting: Give historically disenfranchised language groups insufficiently captured in the Census the opportunity to show, through other means, that they should qualify for language assistance.
  • Prohibit voter suppression and vote dilution: Improve options to break discriminatory barriers to the ballot and fight district maps or election systems that weaken or silence the voting power of historically disenfranchised communities.
  • Prevent voting discrimination before it happens: Require jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to obtain approval from the California Attorney General before making certain changes to voting practices.
  • Provide voters with avenues to protect their rights: As avenues for voters to avail themselves of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 come under attack, ensure California voters can go to state courts to protect their voting rights.
  • Require courts to interpret laws in favor of voters: Ensure courts interpret state election laws in a manner that prioritizes voters’ access to the ballot and equal participation in the democratic process.

 

Read more about Senate Bills 1164 and 1360. SB 1164 and 1360 are due pass to the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

 

 

 

 


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