republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20152016/ab-1461.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program."
description: "Existing law, the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requires a state to, among other things, establish procedures to register a person to vote by application made simultaneously with an application for a new or renewal of a motor vehicle driver's license. The federal act requires the motor vehicle driver's license application to serve as an application for voter registration with respect to an election for federal office, unless the applicant fails to sign the application, and requires the application to be considered as updating the applicant's previous voter registration, if any. The federal act defines \"motor vehicle driver's license\" to include any personal identification document issued by a state motor vehicle authority."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "AB 1461"
citation: "California AB 1461 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Gonzalez"]
version_count: 11
action_count: 42
vote_count: 11
first_action: "2015-02-27"
last_action: "2015-10-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e06b7dee-cb77-42d9-940c-e3de1e31143d"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461"
source_hash: "f7479890decfb6f12595ffea776ef467449dd09e467257c368410298700e491d"
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 1461 (20152016) — Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program.

Existing law, the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requires a state to, among other things, establish procedures to register a person to vote by application made simultaneously with an application for a new or renewal of a motor vehicle driver's license. The federal act requires the motor vehicle driver's license application to serve as an application for voter registration with respect to an election for federal office, unless the applicant fails to sign the application, and requires the application to be considered as updating the applicant's previous voter registration, if any. The federal act defines "motor vehicle driver's license" to include any personal identification document issued by a state motor vehicle authority.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/27/15 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146199INT)
2. **03/26/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146198AMD)
3. **04/06/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146197AMD)
4. **04/20/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146196AMD)
5. **05/05/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146195AMD)
6. **06/23/15 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146194AMD)
7. **08/31/15 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146193AMD)
8. **09/04/15 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146192AMD)
9. **10/10/15 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146190CHP)
10. **AB1461** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461)
11. **09/16/15 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1461&version=20150AB146191ENR)

## Votes

- AB 1461 GONZALEZ Assembly Third Reading — **52–26** (pass) · lower
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Be re-referred to the Committee on [Transportation] — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended — **5–2** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **8–3** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **12–5** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Transportation and Housing] — **3–1** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Elections and Redistricting] — **10–5** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB1461 Gonzalez By Lara — **25–15** (pass) · upper
- AB 1461 GONZALEZ Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **52–26** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **5–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Gonzalez — primary (person)
- Alejo — author (person)
- Eduardo Garcia — coauthor (person)
- Lara — principal coauthor (person)
- McCarty — author (person)
- Mullin — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2015-02-27** Introduced. To print. `introduction`
- **2015-03-01** From printer. May be heard in committee March 31.
- **2015-03-02** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2015-03-26** Referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee`
- **2015-03-26** 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, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-04-06** Re-referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-06** 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, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-04-07** Re-referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-09** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-13** From committee: Be re-referred to Coms. on TRANS. and E. & R. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 13). Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2015-04-20** Assembly Rule 56 suspended. (Page 1002.)
- **2015-04-20** (pending re-referral to the Com. on E. & R.)
- **2015-04-20** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-04-21** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E. & R. (Ayes 10. Noes 5.) (April 27). Re-referred to Com. on E. & R. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-05-04** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 29). `amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2015-05-05** Read second time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-05-06** Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-20** In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-28** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (May 28). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-06-01** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-06-02** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 52. Noes 26. Page 1791.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-06-02** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2015-06-11** Referred to Com. on E. & C.A. `referral-committee`
- **2015-06-16** Withdrawn from committee.
- **2015-06-16** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2015-06-18** Re-referred to Coms. on E. & C.A. and T. & H. `referral-committee`
- **2015-06-23** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-07-01** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on T. & H. (Ayes 3. Noes 1.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on T. & H. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-07-15** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 3.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-08-17** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2015-08-24** In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file. `referral-committee`
- **2015-08-27** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 27). `amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2015-08-31** Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-09-04** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-09-08** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-09-10** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 25. Noes 15. Page 2702.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-09-10** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- **2015-09-11** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 52. Noes 26. Page 3153.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2015-09-23** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2015-10-10** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2015-10-10** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 729, Statutes of 2015.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e06b7dee-cb77-42d9-940c-e3de1e31143d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).