Senator Cervantes Champions Voting Rights California Voting Rights Act of 2026 Signed by Governor

(LOS ANGELES) – The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 (CVRA 2026), authored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday. CVRA 2026, which includes Senate Bills 1164 and 1360, provides stronger protections against vote dilution and voter suppression and expands language access assistance to more limited-English proficient (LEP) voters. CVRA 2026, a long-needed update to the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, also strengthens defenses against other forms of voter discrimination that Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited before the unfortunate U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais.

“Voters want their voices heard, they want their votes to count, and they want free and fair elections. The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 is part of the solution to protect the sacred right to vote while addressing the continued actions to dismantle our democracy by the federal administration. I will always be a defender of voting rights and stand firmly behind the protections this legislation provides,” said Senator Cervantes, author of the landmark legislation.

The California Democracy Partnership, the sponsor of CVRA 2026, applauded the signing. “Two decades ago, California stepped up to protect voters, and today our state is stepping up again in the face of unprecedented federal attacks on our democracy. For years, the California Voting Rights Act has provided critical protections beyond those in the federal Voting Rights Act. But as we confront unrelenting efforts by the federal government and bad actors here at home to disenfranchise voters and undermine access to the ballot, the need for action is unmistakable. The CVRA 2026 sends a clear message: California will not stand by while the fundamental rights of its voters are threatened. The California Democracy Partnership is proud to help strengthen access to the ballot box and ensure that communities have the power to defend their votes for generations to come,” said Hector Villagra, Vice President for Policy Advocacy and Community Education at MALDEF.

The Partnership is a growing group of civil justice, voting rights, and labor organizations, which includes SEIU California, MALDEF, ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the League of Women Voters, and Asian Law Caucus.

The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 will:

Prohibit Vote Dilution: Protect against electoral systems or district maps that weaken or silence the voting power of communities of voters.
Prohibit Voter Suppression: Confront threats to voter participation and access to voting opportunities that occur through discriminatory barriers to the ballot.
Stop Voting Discrimination Before It Occurs: Require jurisdictions with a recent history of engaging in voter discrimination to obtain approval from the California Attorney General before making certain changes to their voting policies or practices.
Ensure Voters Can Directly Protect Their Rights: As voters’ ability to use the federal Voting Rights Act comes under attack, CVRA 2026 will ensure individual California voters can go to state court to enforce voting rights.
Guarantee the Federal VRA’s Language Assistance Requirements Under State Law: Codify the language access assistance services currently required by Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is set to expire in 2032, in state law.
Expand Upon Existing Section 203 Language Coverage: Expand language assistance service coverage for LEP voters beyond what is currently required by Section 203 to include additional 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 access assistance.

Read more about Senate Bills 1164 and 1360. Or visit the Senator's page about the CVRA 2026.

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