AB 2573 — Voter registration information: confidentiality.

Summary

Under existing law, the residence address, telephone number, and email address of a registered voter is confidential, except that under certain circumstances a county elections official must disclose that information to any candidate for federal, state, or local office, to any committee for or against any initiative or referendum measure, and to any person for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes. Existing law exempts from that disclosure requirement the residence address, telephone number, and email address of a federal, state, or local elected official or candidate, unless the official or candidate opts out or the information is sought for bona fide journalistic or governmental purposes. Voters in life-threatening circumstances and voters who participate in specified confidentiality programs may also have their residence address, telephone number, and email address exempted from the disclosure requirement. This bill would expand those exemptions to apply to the voter's entire voter registration record, except as specified. The bill would recast the provisions creating the exemption for the voter registration record of an elected official or candidate. The bill would permit the information of an elected official's immediate family member who lives at the same residence to be made confidential. For an elected official or candidate's voter registration record to be confidential, the elected official or candidate would be required to make a written request to the county elections official, and a candidate would also need to qualify to appear on the ballot. The Secretary of State would be required to notify county elections officials when a state or federal candidate qualifies to appear on the ballot, and it would require county elections officials to notify the Secretary of State under certain circumstances if the confidential designation is added to, or removed from, a federal or state elected official or candidate's voter registration record. The Secretary of State and county elections officials would be required to implement the provisions creating the exemption immediately once the statewide voter registration database and county election management systems have made conforming changes, but the bill states that it does not authorize any reduction in current, ongoing implementation efforts. The bill would require the Secretary of State to develop and implement a process by no later than September 30, 2027, for a person with confidential voter status to vote at a polling place or vote center and retain confidential voter status. To the extent the bill imposes additional requirements on local elections officials, the bill imposes a state-mandated local program. 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. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/27/26 - Chaptered html September 27, 2026
• Enrolled 09/03/26 - Enrolled html September 03, 2026
• Amended 08/21/26 - Amended Senate html August 21, 2026
• Amended 08/13/26 - Amended Senate html August 13, 2026
• Amended 07/01/26 - Amended Senate Current pdf July 01, 2026
• Amended 05/19/26 - Amended Assembly pdf May 19, 2026
• Amended 04/07/26 - Amended Assembly pdf April 07, 2026
• Introduced 02/20/26 - Introduced pdf February 20, 2026
• AB2573 View text html

Action History

1. September 10, 2026

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

2. August 30, 2026

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0.).

3. August 28, 2026

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

4. August 28, 2026

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 0.).

5. August 24, 2026

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

6. August 21, 2026

   Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

7. August 17, 2026

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. August 13, 2026

   Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

9. August 13, 2026

   From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

10. August 03, 2026

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

11. July 01, 2026

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

12. June 30, 2026

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 30).

13. June 10, 2026

    Referred to Com. on E. & C.A.

14. May 27, 2026

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

15. May 26, 2026

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0.)

16. May 19, 2026

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 5154.)

17. May 18, 2026

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

18. May 14, 2026

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

19. May 06, 2026

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

20. April 15, 2026

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

21. April 08, 2026

    Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

22. April 07, 2026

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ELECTIONS. Read second time and amended.

23. March 09, 2026

    Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

24. February 21, 2026

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

25. February 20, 2026

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• LaShae Sharp-Collins · Primary

Votes

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