The Overview

Now in California, elected officials, candidates, and immediate family members who live with them can shield their entire voter registration record, not just their address, phone number, and email, once state and county systems are updated. Officials and candidates must file a written request with their county elections official, and candidates must also qualify for the ballot. ​

California's Voter Registration Information: Confidentiality bill, AB 2573, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it Sept. 27. POLITICO reported that harassers have used national voter-registration databases to identify people's addresses through coordinated online campaigns. The law requires the Secretary of State to develop, by September 30, 2027, a way for people with confidential voter status to vote at polling places while keeping that status.

What the Law Does

To get that protection, an elected official or candidate must submit a written request to their county elections official; a candidate must also qualify to appear on the ballot. Immediate family members who live at the same address may also have their voter registration information made confidential.

The Secretary of State must notify county elections officials when a state or federal candidate qualifies for the ballot, and counties must notify the Secretary of State under certain circumstances when a confidential designation is added or removed. By no later than Sept. 30, 2027, the Secretary of State must also develop a process so people with confidential voter status can still vote at a polling place or vote center without losing that status.

Legislative Status

Asm. LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-CA-79) authored the bill, which her office describes as making "technical and clarifying changes" to help counties administer protections for elected officials' personal voter information. The Assembly Committee on Elections described the bill as a technical cleanup measure meant to help counties put confidential voter-registration protections into effect consistently.

The Assembly Elections Committee passed it 8-0 on April 15, the Assembly Appropriations Committee 15-0 on May 14, the full Assembly 78-0 on May 26, the Senate 35-0 on Aug. 28, and the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments 79-0 on Aug. 30.

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