Photos from Congressional Shadow Hearing, LWV LA County Convention, and Dora Rose and some of our partners at the Capitol
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
I write to you this month with a heavy heart. In the days since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Callais, which has gutted core protections of the Voting Rights Act, many of us are feeling a profound sense of loss. For decades, the Voting Rights Act has stood as a bedrock civil rights law – one that helped ensure that voters, particularly in communities of color, could participate equally in our democracy. This decision is not just a legal shift; it is a sobering moment in our nation’s history that calls into question hard-won progress toward a more inclusive democracy.
And yet, even in this moment of sorrow, we are called to continue the work. As John Lewis reminded us, “Your vote is precious, almost sacred…It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.” The League of Women Voters has always understood that protecting democracy is not a one-time victory, but an ongoing responsibility.
Last month, I had the honor of representing the League at a Congressional shadow hearing on voting rights in Los Angeles. As I shared in my testimony, “Since 1920, our mission has remained the same: to ensure that every eligible voter can participate fully, freely, and confidently in our elections. That mission is as urgent today as it was then.” In light of the Callais decision, those words carry even greater weight.
While the national landscape is deeply concerning, we are seeing important progress here in California. Our state’s landmark voting rights legislation continues to move forward, recently passing out of committee and advancing in the State Senate. These efforts reflect our shared commitment to expanding access, strengthening transparency, and ensuring that every voice is heard.
At the same time, new challenges are emerging. A new, unnecessary voter ID initiative has now qualified for the California ballot, and the League is leading the fight to defeat it. As we have seen across the country, such measures disproportionately impact voters who already face barriers – including women, seniors, voters with disabilities, and communities of color. Our work to protect accessible and equitable elections here in California has never been more critical.
In moments like this – when the stakes feel especially high – I am continually inspired by the dedication of League members and supporters across our state. Whether you are registering voters, hosting candidate forums, advocating for policy change, or simply showing up and speaking out, you are part of a long and proud tradition of defending democracy.
We move forward with resolve. We organize. We advocate. We vote.
Thank you for all that you do, every day, to carry this work forward.
With gratitude,
Jenny Farrell
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of California
Advocacy Update
Building California’s Firewall for Voting Rights
The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 is California’s answer to Callais.
Federal voting rights are under fire. As the Supreme Court makes it harder to challenge discrimination under the federal Voting Rights Act, the League is fighting to ensure California remains a stronghold for democracy.
We are partnering with the California Democracy Partnership to advance a critical two-bill package that builds a durable firewall into state law.
- SB 1164 (Modernizing the CVRA): This bill strengthens protections against discrimination, creates a process to review certain voting changes before they go into effect to stop potential harms before they impact voters, and directs our courts to interpret laws in a way that favors broad voter access.
- SB 1360 (Expanding Language Access): Democracy only works if you can understand your ballot. This bill locks federal language assistance guarantees into California law, making it easier for undercounted communities to receive the translated materials they need to vote confidently.
Following recent hostile federal court rulings like Louisiana v. Callais, our work is no longer just important – it is urgent. We cannot wait for the federal government to protect our rights. We must defend California voters with strong state protections.
Fighting Back Against Voter Suppression
The Voter Suppression Initiative on the November Ballot
At the same time that we are building a firewall against federal rollbacks, we are fighting back against a state measure on the November 2026 ballot that would create unnecessary barriers to the ballot box. The League is helping lead a broad coalition of organizations to defeat this measure and ensure every Californian can vote safely and privately.
The Truth: Our Elections Are Already Secure
California already protects the integrity of your vote through:
- Rigorous registration checks
- Signature verification
- Secure ballot tracking
- Regular voter list maintenance
What’s at Stake?
This anti-voter initiative would force radical changes to our current system, including:
- Unnecessary Documentation: Requires government-issued ID every time you vote in person even though there is essentially zero voter fraud in elections in the United States.
- Privacy Risks for Mail-In Voters: Forces the 80% of Californians who vote by mail to write sensitive ID numbers on the outside of their envelopes – creating a massive risk for identity theft.
- Faulty Voter Purges: Implements citizenship database checks that are notorious for wrongly flagging eligible citizens for removal from the rolls.
The Bottom Line
This measure doesn’t solve a real problem. Instead, it would create privacy and identity-theft risks, increase ballot rejections, slow voting, and burden election officials. And the hurdles it creates in terms of documentation fall hardest on people of color, seniors, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, rural voters, young voters, and voters whose names or addresses have changed.
Stay tuned for more information on how we can all work together to defeat this dangerous initiative in November!
Legislative Victory: Defeating the “Voter Purge” Bill (SB 1310)
The League and our partners recently secured a major victory for voting rights by successfully blocking SB 1310. This dangerous legislation threatened to undermine California’s secure, attestation-based voter registration system by opening the door to restrictive proof of citizenship requirements.
The Risks of SB 1310
The bill would have required jury commissioners to report individuals who indicated on jury affidavits that they were not U.S. citizens or county residents to elections officials and the Secretary of State. Under this proposal, elections officials would have been required to make a voter’s registration inactive and cancel it entirely if the individual did not respond to a notice within just 15 days of it being sent out.
The LWVC led the opposition to this bill, highlighting several critical flaws:
- Unreliable Data: Jury forms are not designed for election administration. They are not available in languages required by elections law, and often contain mistakes, misunderstandings, or stale information that does not accurately reflect a person’s current eligibility.
- Targeting Eligible Voters: This process created an unacceptably high risk for naturalized citizens, limited-English-proficient voters, and others to be wrongly removed from the rolls due to simple clerical errors or data matching issues.
- Dangerous Precedent: By requiring voters to “demonstrate” eligibility without a clear legal definition, the bill moved away from the established systems that make California a leader in voter access.
Persistence Pays Off
While SB 1310 initially advanced through the Senate Elections Committee, we persevered and successfully persuaded the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote the bill down.
This win ensures that California’s voter rolls remain accurate and secure without resorting to discriminatory purges that disenfranchise eligible citizens.
Primary Election Reform Webinar Series
Starting this month, the League of Women Voters of California and California Common Cause are hosting a spring webinar series on our primary election reform work. Each webinar will feature coalition members leading an educational presentation on the importance of primary election reform and how our proposed policy would improve voter participation. This information will help you and your members take action in your communities, educate others, and build local support for primary election reform.
Join us for our first webinar in the series on May 13th from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm for an educational panel and discussion session. This first webinar will highlight the need for primary reform for counties in the Central Coast region. We appreciate the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County for their partnership in the event!
Become a Committee Member at the LWVC
)We’re always looking for passionate leaders to help shape the future of the League! The League of Women Voters of California is recruiting volunteers for our statewide committees, the essential groups that advance and sustain the LWVC mission.
If you have a background in any of the following areas, we need your voice:
- Our Audit Committee ensures transparency.
- Our Development Committee helps fuel the mission.
- Our Voter Engagement Committee empowers voters.
Interested? Please reach out to us at nomcom [at] lwvc.org to learn more or to recommend a fellow member. Thank you!
Do You Have a Voting Plan?
Here are some important steps and tips to ensure you have a voting plan for the upcoming Primary Election on June 2, 2026.
✔ Make Sure You Are Registered!
Check your registration to make sure it’s up to date. If your signature has changed over time, then re-register to update your signature at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov. The last day to register to vote is May 18 at registertovote.ca.gov.
🔎 Learn About What’s On Your Ballot
VOTE411 makes it easy to see everything that will be on your ballot, including national, state and local candidates and measures. You can also see your voting location. Type in your address at Vote411.org.
☑ Decide How You Will Return Your Ballot
- In Person – For voting in person on Election Day, the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- By Mail – If you wish to use the mailed ballot instead of voting in person, fill it out and mail it back early so that it is postmarked no later than Election Day. You do not need a stamp to mail back your ballot in the return envelope provided.
- Dropoff – You may drop off your ballot at any voting location in your county. Your county will also open secure ballot drop-off locations starting about a month before Election Day.
⚖ Know Your Voting Rights
Every eligible voter has the right to participate in elections without facing discrimination or intimidation. By empowering individuals with knowledge about their rights, we seek to ensure that all voices are heard and that every vote counts, fostering a more inclusive and democratic electoral process. Read the California Voter Bill of Rights.
For more election resources, visit CAVotes.org.
Become a Poll Monitor In Your Area
Common Cause and Asian Law Caucus are excited to share details about their joint 2026 election protection program!
For this June’s primary, they are recruiting several hundred volunteers to observe 20 counties around the state. These nonpartisan poll monitors will monitor the situation on the ground, assist any individuals who need support, collect data on disability and language access, and help ensure that all eligible voters can cast their ballots freely and fairly.
Volunteers can receive a digital gift card or Pro Bono credit hours. To sign up, volunteers should fill out one of the following forms by May 8:
- Northern California & Central Valley: Interested volunteers who live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Marin, Placer, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, and Stanislaus Counties should sign up here with Asian Law Caucus.
- Southern California: Interested volunteers who live in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties should sign up here with California Common Cause.
For more information, please see the Asian Law Caucus website or reach out to us at lwvc [at] lwvc.org and we’ll connect you.
Don’t Miss Out! Panel on the Evolving Landscape of Voter Access and Election Protection
How do we navigate modern threats like cybersecurity and AI while ensuring every citizen has access to the ballot?
We’re bringing together Natalie Adona, Marin County Registrar of Voters; Jesse Mainardi, Election law expert and UC Law SF Professor; and our very own LWVC Deputy Director, Dora Rose to break down the state of our democracy.
We aren’t just talking about the problems – we’re discussing practical steps you can take to protect the integrity of our elections.
Key Topics:
- Citizen Action: How you can step up to protect the integrity of the vote.
- Maps & Rights: Constitutional protections and the impact of redistricting.
- Access & Security: Navigating modern threats to voter access and ballot security.
- Tech & Truth: The influence of AI, social media, and cybersecurity on election outcomes.
Join us in San Francisco or from your living room!
Wed, May 13 | 6:30 PM
Mechanics’ Institute (SF) + Virtual Option
$5 (plus fees) for League Members
If you are not able to attend live, we will send out a link to the recording to League members after the event.
WNBA Basketball: LWVC Night at Chase Center!
Monday, August 17, 2026 at 7:00pm
Chase Center, San Francisco
Join the League of Women Voters of California to experience an exciting WNBA matchup as the Golden State Valkyries take on the Dallas Wings. Enjoy a night of sports and community with preferred seating in Section 216 alongside fellow League members.
Attendees will enjoy exclusive benefits, including the opportunity to go courtside to watch the teams warm up and see League messaging on the Jumbotron. Tickets are $100 (fees waived) and include a $50 tax-deductible donation to the LWV California.
(Be sure to select seats in Rows 15-19 of Section 216)
Please secure your tickets by July 16th before this popular game sells out! Questions or need help securing your tickets? Contact us at lwvc [at] lwvc.org.
LWVC in the News
The League of Women Voters of California stood firm against a newly qualified November ballot initiative that seeks to implement restrictive voter ID and citizenship verification requirements. In a coalition with other voting rights organizations, we vow to combat these measures that we know would disenfranchise millions of eligible Californians who lack specific identification (Calo News, New York Times, CBS8, SF Chronicle, LA Times, Courthouse News Service, USA Today).
To counter election misinformation, we testified at a Congressional shadow field hearing in Los Angeles to defend the integrity of our voting systems (Spectrum News 1, LA Times), while simultaneously advocating for a new ballot initiative to allow for publicly financed campaigns to reduce the influence of big money (Annenberg Media) and redoubling our engagement efforts to help voters navigate a crowded gubernatorial field (ABC10).
You can catch up on all these interviews, articles, and more by visiting our In the News page.
Fun Corner
This month, we’re looking for lighthearted ways to stay engaged with the election season. We’ll be watching along with the rest of the state as the CNN California Governor Primary Debate airs tonight, Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 pm.
To make the viewing experience a little more fun, we’ve put together a special Bingo Card featuring common buzzwords, candidate tropes, and recurring themes you’re likely to hear during the broadcast. It’s a fun, low-stakes way to stay focused on the conversation while we all prepare for the June primary.
How to Tune In
- When: Tuesday, May 5 | 6:00 pm
- The Lineup: Moderated by CNN’s Elex Michaelson and Kaitlan Collins
- Where to Watch: Catch it live on CNN, CNN International, or CNN en Español
- Streaming: View via CNN.com or the CNN app
Ready to Play?
Whether you’re watching for the policies or the personalities, grab your bingo card and see if you can get five in a row!
Watching the debate with friends? Download alternate versions of the bingo card below.
