Elections

The law creates broader state standards for challenging election rules that disadvantage racial, color, or language-minority voters. It also adds oversight, public-process, and remedy rules for local election changes.

What the law does ​

• Bars state agencies and political subdivisions from election policies or practices that cause or are likely to cause voter suppression of protected classes.
• Bars local election methods that impair protected-class voters’ equal opportunity to nominate or elect candidates of their choice when an alternative method would likely reduce that impairment.
• Lets the Attorney General and affected protected-class voters sue, while requiring most prospective plaintiffs to first give local governments notice and an opportunity to remedy the issue.
• Requires local governments responding to vote-dilution notices to hold public hearings, conduct outreach including to non-English-speaking communities, publish a change plan, and provide voter education for at least two election cycles.
• Requires certain local governments with voting-rights violations or liability settlements in the prior 10 years to obtain Attorney General preapproval before changing election methods, boundaries, annexations, or language assistance.
• Requires the Secretary of State to test and approve qualifying voting systems for election methods adopted as California Voting Rights Act remedies.
• Requires local districting bodies to comply with the expanded voting-rights requirements when redrawing districts after each census.

Who it affects ​

• Voters who are members of racial, color, or language-minority groups.
• Cities, counties, school districts, community college districts, special districts, and other local entities that conduct or administer elections.
• State agencies that set, enforce, or administer election policies or practices.
• Local governing bodies changing election methods or redrawing election districts.

Context ​

The law requires voting-related local enactments to be interpreted liberally in favor of the right to vote.