SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes announced Tuesday that the California Voting Rights Act of 2026 advanced in the Senate, marking a significant step in a legislative effort aimed at expanding voting access and addressing voter suppression, particularly for minority communities and voters with limited English proficiency.
Senate Bills 1164 and 1360 were approved as a combined policy package known as CVRA 2026. Supporters say the measure is intended to strengthen protections for voters and close gaps in existing election laws.
According to Sen. Cervantes, “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,” she added.
The statement highlights concerns about threats to democratic processes and voter participation.
“We must never allow the suppression or dilution of the votes of historically disenfranchised communities or discrimination against limited-English-proficient voters,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes also acknowledged members of the Senate committee who advanced the legislation, saying the bills are intended to help California respond to emerging challenges to elections and voting rights.
The California Democracy Partnership, a coalition of labor leaders, voting rights advocates and community organizers, voiced support for the legislation. CVRA 2026 is also backed by SEIU (Service Employees International Union) California, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other civil rights, labor and community groups.
Recent polling cited by supporters found that “two-thirds of California voters believe our democracy is under attack” and that respondents expressed strong support for lawmakers strengthening voter protections.
Supporters say CVRA 2026 would further address gaps in current voting laws by “closing loopholes by strengthening the CVRA to cover district-based systems, stop repeat violations before they occur, and give communities and individuals stronger tools to fight voter suppression.”
Kristin Nimmers, policy and campaigns manager for the Black Power Network, also praised the proposal.
“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,” Nimmers said.
The statement characterizes the legislation as part of broader efforts to preserve voter protections and democratic participation.
CVRA 2026 would also create a preclearance-style review process by requiring jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to obtain approval from the California Attorney General’s Office before making certain changes to voting practices.
To expand language access, the legislation would 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 broaden covered language minority categories to include additional language groups.
Supporters say the proposed changes would help more non-English-speaking voters participate fully in elections by reducing barriers to language access.
The legislation would also allow California voters to seek protection of their voting rights in state courts if federal protections are weakened or challenged.
Additionally, the measure would require courts to interpret election laws in favor of protecting voter access to the ballot and equal participation in the democratic process.
Ultimately, Cervantes said the goal of CVRA 2026 is to expand both access to the ballot and protections for voters across California.
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