Bill Commons

CA AB 5

enacted

Elections: official canvass.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 5 pass?

Yes. CA AB 5 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-03. Latest recorded action (2025-10-03): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 250, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 5 about?

Existing law requires elections officials to commence the canvass for an election no later than the Thursday following the election and to make the canvass open to the public. Existing law requires the canvass to be continued daily, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted, for not less than six hours each day until completed. Existing law requires elections officials to prepare a certified statement of the results of the election within 30 days of the election and to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results within 31 days of the election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than the 38th day after the election. This bill would require elections officials, on or before the 13th day following an election, to finish counting all ballots, with certain exceptions, including provisional ballots and ballots for which the voter must either verify or provide a signature, and release a vote count for those ballots. If an elections official will not meet that deadline, they would be required to file a notice of extension, including the reason for the extension, with the Secretary of State. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Who sponsors CA AB 5?

Berman is the primary sponsor of CA AB 5, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law requires elections officials to commence the canvass for an election no later than the Thursday following the election and to make the canvass open to the public. Existing law requires the canvass to be continued daily, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted, for not less than six hours each day until completed. Existing law requires elections officials to prepare a certified statement of the results of the election within 30 days of the election and to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results within 31 days of the election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than the 38th day after the election. This bill would require elections officials, on or before the 13th day following an election, to finish counting all ballots, with certain exceptions, including provisional ballots and ballots for which the voter must either verify or provide a signature, and release a vote count for those ballots. If an elections official will not meet that deadline, they would be required to file a notice of extension, including the reason for the extension, with the Secretary of State. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Introduced
2025-03-10
Latest action
2025-10-03 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 250, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
2026-07-09T05:52:59.613161Z

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Bermanauthor
  • Choicoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2024-12-02

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2024-12-03

    From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.

  3. 2025-03-10

    Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-10

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ELECTIONS. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-11

    Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-09

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-23

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  8. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  9. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  10. 2025-05-29

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 1774.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  11. 2025-05-29

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  12. 2025-06-11

    Referred to Com. on E. & C.A.

    referral-committee

  13. 2025-06-24

    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.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  14. 2025-07-01

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (July 1).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  15. 2025-07-02

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  16. 2025-07-14

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  17. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  18. 2025-08-29

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  19. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2611.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  20. 2025-09-08

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  21. 2025-09-09

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3098.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  22. 2025-09-16

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  23. 2025-10-03

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  24. 2025-10-03

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 250, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 12/02/24 - Introduced — 2024-12-02Compare
  • 03/10/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-10Compare
  • 06/24/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-24Compare
  • 07/02/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-02Compare
  • 09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
  • 10/03/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-03Compare
  • AB5Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-04-09 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Stefani: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Macedo: yes
  • Do pass.

    2025-05-23 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Sanchez: other
  • AB 5 Berman Assembly Third Reading

    2025-05-29 · pass · 71-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Alvarez: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Sharp-Collins: other
    • Chen: other
    • Ward: other
    • Bryan: other
    • Solache: other
    • Tangipa: other
  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-07-01 · pass · 5-0

    Member-level votes (5)
    • Allen: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Choi: yes
  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-07-14 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
  • Do pass

    2025-08-29 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
  • 3rd Reading AB5 Berman et al. By Allen

    2025-09-08 · pass · 38-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Stern: other
    • Weber Pierson: other
  • AB 5 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-09 · pass · 79-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Addis: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from ca_session_collision_repair/2026-09-02, retrieved 2026-09-03T02:10:57.630031Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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