California SB 1418: Articulation of educational purpose and policy.

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 Bill Text - SB-1418 Preservation of election materials.

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 |Add To My Favorites |Track Bill | Version: 06/11/26 - Amended Assembly
 03/24/26 - Amended Senate
 02/20/26 - Introduced

 SB-1418 Preservation of election materials.(2025-2026)

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 Date Published: 06/11/2026 09:00 PM

SB1418:v97#DOCUMENTBill Start

 Revised
 July 01, 2026

 Amended
 IN 
 Assembly
 June 11, 2026

 Amended
 IN 
 Senate
 March 24, 2026

 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

 Senate Bill

No. 1418

Introduced by Senator Cervantes
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Jackson)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Pellerin)

February 20, 2026

 An act to amend Section 11 Sections 15550, 15551, 18564.5, and 18568 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1418, as amended, Cervantes.
 Elections officials: meetings. Preservation of election materials.

Under existing law, various election materials, including ballots, voter rosters, and related documents, must be maintained for a certain amount of time following an election. If an election contest or criminal prosecution has been commenced before the date voted ballots will be destroyed, the ballots may not be destroyed until after final determination of the contest or prosecution.

This bill would expand that provision to prohibit the destruction of any document that must be preserved after an election and any certified voting technology used for the election until after final determination of any contest, criminal investigation, or criminal prosecution.

Existing law makes it a crime to knowingly take a package containing
 ballots from the custody of an elections official. Existing law also authorizes the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and appropriate local elections officials to bring a civil action against a person, business, or entity that takes a package containing ballots from the custody of an elections official.

This bill would apply the crime and the authorization to bring a civil action to taking any document, record, or certified voting technology from the custody of the elections official. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would create 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a
 specified reason.

Existing law authorizes county elections officials, city elections officials, and registrars of voters to meet up to 3 times in a calendar year to discuss matters affecting the administration of the election laws and to promote uniformity of procedure, as specified.

This bill would authorize meetings up to 4 times in a calendar year.

Digest Key

 Vote:
 MAJORITY 
 Appropriation:
 NO 
 Fiscal Committee:
 NOYES 
 Local Program:
 NOYES 

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 15550 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

15550.

 The records and supplies of any election when received by the elections official shall be maintained and disposed of in the manner set forth in this chapter. chapter and Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 17300) of Division 17.

SEC. 2.

 Section 15551 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

15551.

 (a) If a contest or any such (1) For any document that is or will be subject to the preservation requirements in Section 17300 to Section 17304, inclusive, and for any certified voting technology or portion thereof, including source code, if a contest, criminal investigation, or criminal prosecution has been commenced before the date fixed for its destruction, the package containing the voted ballots the destruction of the document or certified voting
 technology, the document or certified voting technology
 shall be subject to the order of the court in which the contest contest, criminal investigation, or criminal prosecution is pending and shall not be destroyed until after final determination of the contest contest, criminal investigation, or criminal prosecution.

(2) For purposes of this section, “certified voting technology” has the same meaning as defined in Section 17600.

(b) In
 the case of a congressional election contest, the elections official shall hold the ballots of that congress