--- type: "Bill" title: "Elections." description: "(1) Existing state and federal law provides for the enforcement of laws related to elections and provides procedures to challenge the conduct of elections and election results." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20252026" identifier: "SB 851" citation: "California SB 851 (20252026)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Elections"] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Cervantes"] version_count: 6 action_count: 29 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2025-02-27" last_action: "2025-10-01" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cb10d46a-eb40-47ed-be34-b14508600cde" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851" source_hash: "7ce7d2ab988d3d993f5be966e14542e80eb9604dc1e73f4d1672fddad7adbeea" 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 SB 851 (20252026) — Elections. (1) Existing state and federal law provides for the enforcement of laws related to elections and provides procedures to challenge the conduct of elections and election results. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/27/25 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851&version=20250SB85199INT) 2. **09/03/25 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851&version=20250SB85198AMD) 3. **09/09/25 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851&version=20250SB85197AMD) 4. **10/01/25 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851&version=20250SB85195CHP) 5. **SB851** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851) 6. **09/18/25 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB851&version=20250SB85196ENR) ## Votes - Unfinished Business SB851 Cervantes et al. Urgency Clause Concurrence — **29–6** (pass) · upper - Do pass. — **5–2** (pass) · lower - Do pass and be ordered to the Consent Calendar — **5–0** (pass) · upper - SB 851 Cervantes Senate Second Reading By Pellerin — **60–19** (pass) · lower - Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **7–0** (pass) · lower - Consent Calendar 2nd SB851 E. & C.A. — **38–0** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Cervantes — primary (person) - Pellerin — author (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2025-02-27** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1` - **2025-02-28** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 30. - **2025-03-12** Referred to Com. on E. & C.A. `referral-committee` - **2025-04-04** Set for hearing April 29. - **2025-04-29** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 934.) (April 29). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2025-04-30** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-1, reading-2` - **2025-05-05** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1011.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2025-05-05** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1` - **2025-05-19** Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS. `referral-committee` - **2025-07-02** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2025-07-03** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-1, reading-2` - **2025-07-07** From consent calendar on motion of Assembly Member Garcia. - **2025-07-07** Ordered to third reading. - **2025-09-03** Read third time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2025-09-03** Ordered to third reading. - **2025-09-09** Joint Rule 61(a)(13) suspended. (Ayes 57. Noes 20. Page 3132.) - **2025-09-09** Read third time and amended. (Page 3132.) `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2025-09-09** Ordered to third reading. - **2025-09-09** Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2. `referral-committee` - **2025-09-10** Joint Rule 62(a) suspended. - **2025-09-12** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (September 12). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2025-09-12** Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 57. Noes 20. Page 3441.) - **2025-09-13** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 60. Noes 19. Page 3447.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3` - **2025-09-13** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. - **2025-09-13** Urgency clause adopted. - **2025-09-13** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 6. Page 3059.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2025-09-23** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m. - **2025-10-01** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2025-10-01** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 238, Statutes of 2025. `became-law` ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cb10d46a-eb40-47ed-be34-b14508600cde`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).