---
type: "Bill"
title: "Processing write-in votes."
description: "Existing law prescribes the procedure for conducting an official canvass of election results, including the manner in which a name written upon a ballot for a qualified write-in candidate is to be counted for the office. Existing law, with regard to voting systems in which write-in spaces appear directly below the list of candidates for that office and provide a voting space, prohibits an elections official from counting a write-in vote unless the voting space next to the write-in space is marked or slotted as directed in the voting instructions."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20112012"
identifier: "AB 503"
citation: "California AB 503 (20112012)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Processing write-in votes."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Block"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 21
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2011-02-15"
last_action: "2011-08-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/947c5a84-1605-4e10-9bcb-2e97769774e2"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503"
source_hash: "b11d096edd73e7216087c056a3642e1ffa879d8df06a77539a77d440b1c9d9ff"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 503 (20112012) — Processing write-in votes.

Existing law prescribes the procedure for conducting an official canvass of election results, including the manner in which a name written upon a ballot for a qualified write-in candidate is to be counted for the office. Existing law, with regard to voting systems in which write-in spaces appear directly below the list of candidates for that office and provide a voting space, prohibits an elections official from counting a write-in vote unless the voting space next to the write-in space is marked or slotted as directed in the voting instructions.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/15/11 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503&version=20110AB50399INT)
2. **04/04/11 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503&version=20110AB50398AMD)
3. **05/27/11 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503&version=20110AB50397AMD)
4. **08/08/11 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503&version=20110AB50395CHP)
5. **AB503** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503)
6. **07/18/11 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB503&version=20110AB50396ENR)

## Votes

- AB 503 BLOCK Assembly Third Reading — **53–23** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended. — **12–5** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **3–2** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **5–2** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB503 Block By Vargas — **23–14** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Block — primary (person)
- Vargas — principal coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2011-02-15** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2011-02-16** From printer. May be heard in committee March 18.
- **2011-03-03** Referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee`
- **2011-03-29** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2011-04-04** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E. & R. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2011-04-05** Re-referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee`
- **2011-04-13** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 12). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-04** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2011-05-27** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (May 27). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-27** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2011-05-31** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-06-01** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 53. Noes 23. Page 1731.) `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2011-06-01** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2011-06-08** Referred to Com. on E. & C.A. `referral-committee`
- **2011-06-22** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 3. Noes 2.) (June 21). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-06-23** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-07-14** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 23. Noes 14. Page 1850.). `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2011-07-14** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2011-07-25** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1:30 p.m.
- **2011-08-08** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2011-08-08** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 190, Statutes of 2011.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/947c5a84-1605-4e10-9bcb-2e97769774e2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).