Elections in 2026 through 2029.

Section 1(c) was deleted, which had stated that 'The Governor is encouraged to use law enforcement to enforce this act.' This removed an executive-branch enforcement encouragement from the bill.

Section 405(a) was changed from requiring law enforcement officers to 'abide by and enforce' Sections 403, 404, and Section 18370(a) to merely 'abide by' those sections. The removal of 'and enforce' reduces the affirmative duty placed on law enforcement officers.

A new Section 404(d) requires a county board of supervisors to notify the Secretary of State if the board expands the area in which electioneering is prohibited. This adds a transparency and reporting obligation on counties that choose to use the expanded buffer zone authority.

Section 406 was changed from 'To enforce implement the requirements of this chapter' to 'To implement the requirements of this chapter,' removing the word 'enforce' and clarifying the purpose of the state and local government restrictions on polling places located on their property.

Section 407(a) had a confusing duplicate reference to Section 404 that was cleaned up to read 'a violation of Section 403 or 404 or subdivision (a) of Section 18370.'

Removed the requirement that all counties provide at least 2 ballot dropoff locations or at least 1 for every 11,250 registered voters (whichever is greater). Counties with fewer than 11,250 registered voters would no longer be required to have at least one dropoff location. The remaining requirement is only that dropoff locations be open starting at least 30 days before the election.

The provision allowing a county elections official to extend poll closing time now also applies when voting was disrupted by a violation of subdivision (a) of Section 18370 (the existing state electioneering prohibition), not only violations of the new sections in this chapter. This broadens the trigger for extending polls.

Removed the provision that would have extended the deadline for receiving mail ballots from 7 days after election day to 10 days after election day, including the detailed rules about postmarks and date stamps. Mail ballots will continue to be governed by existing law (postmarked by election day, received within 7 days).

Section 406 changed wording from 'to enforce the requirements' to 'to implement the requirements' regarding state and local government restrictions on polling places located on their property.

Section 404 (arrest prohibition near polling places) was changed from prohibiting 'a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer' from making arrests within 200 feet of a polling place to simply 'a law enforcement officer.' This removes the explicit enumeration of federal officers while technically broadening the language to cover any law enforcement officer.

Legislative findings were revised to remove specific references to 'federal government' actions, 'immigration enforcement officers,' and 'military personnel.' Finding about Sheriff Bianco changed from 'attempted seizure' to 'seizure' and removed the reference to federal weaponization of law enforcement and the National Guard.

Section 407 (extension of poll closing time) now requires the county elections official to act 'in consultation with the county counsel' before extending the time for closing the polls, adding a procedural check that was not in the Senate version which only required the official's discretion.

The sunset date for the entire chapter was extended from January 1, 2030 to January 1, 2031, giving the provisions one additional year of effect beyond the 2029 election cycle.

New Section 406 requires law enforcement officers to abide by and enforce the no-arrest buffer zone (Section 404), the expanded electioneering prohibition (Section 405), and subdivision (a) of Section 18370, and to notify the Secretary of State and Attorney General of any suspected, planned, or actual violation of those provisions.

Section 404 exceptions to the no-arrest rule were changed from 'a violent felony as defined in Section 667.5, a serious felony as defined in Section 1192.7, or larceny' to the broader categories of 'a crime against a person, or a crime against property,' removing the specific Penal Code cross-references.

New subsection (c) of Section 1 states that the Governor is encouraged to use law enforcement to enforce this act.

New Section 407 authorizes the state to place reasonable restrictions on a polling place located on state property, and local governments to do the same for polling places on local government property, as a means of enforcing the chapter's requirements.

A new legislative finding (subsection (2)) was added stating that certain crimes have less exigent circumstances than others and that the value of arresting and detaining those accused is outweighed by the harm created in sensitive areas like polling places.

The bill now applies to elections held in 2026 through 2029 (or proclaimed in 2029) instead of only 2026, 2027, and 2028. The exclusion of the June 2026 statewide primary was removed, though the bill still begins with the November 3, 2026 general election.

A new Section 1 names the act the 'Protect Our Polls Act' and includes legislative findings citing specific incidents: Sheriff Chad Bianco's attempted ballot seizure in Riverside County, federal deployment of immigration enforcement and National Guard near polling places, DOJ monitoring during the November 2025 special election in five California counties, and concerns about the SAVE Act and USPS postmark changes.

The law enforcement arrest prohibition near polling places (Section 404) now has broader exceptions. The prior list of violent felony, serious felony, or larceny was replaced with 'a crime against a person, or a crime against property,' which is a much wider category that would allow more arrests within the 200-foot buffer zone.

The electioneering prohibition (Section 405) was changed from a state-mandated 200-foot buffer to a local option: county boards of supervisors may now choose to expand the existing 100-foot prohibition to up to 200 feet. A new requirement mandates that if expanded, the distance must be uniform across all covered locations within the county.

The bill now applies to elections held in 2026 through 2029 inclusive, or proclaimed in 2029, instead of only 2026, 2027, and 2028. This extends the temporary election rules by one year.

The requirement for counties using vote centers to provide at least one vote center for every 50,000 registered voters starting 20 days before the election has been completely removed.

Ballot drop-off location requirements are now unified for all counties: at least 2 locations or 1 per 11,250 registered voters (whichever is more). Previously, vote center counties had a lower threshold (1 per 7,500 or 11,250) and non-vote-center counties had a higher threshold (1 per 15,000). The new version applies the same standard regardless of whether a county uses vote centers.

The no-arrest buffer zone within 200 feet of a polling place is now limited to the time the polling place is open (previously it applied all day on election day). Additionally, new exceptions are added for violent felonies (Penal Code Section 667.5), serious felonies (Penal Code Section 1192.7), and larceny. A clarifying statement was added that the section does not provide legal amnesty for any crime committed within the buffer zone.

Removed the prohibition on any person performing acts in furtherance of federal immigration law enforcement within 200 feet of a polling place, county elections office, or ballot counting location. Only the narrower ban on law enforcement arrests within 200 feet of a polling place on election day remains.

Reduced the ballot drop-off location requirement for counties using vote centers from one location per 7,500 registered voters to one per 11,250 registered voters. The minimum threshold for small counties also changed from fewer than 7,500 to fewer than 11,250 registered voters.

Changed the applicable language from 'all-mailed ballot elections using vote centers' to 'elections using vote centers,' removing the 'all-mailed ballot' qualifier and potentially broadening which county election setups are covered by the drop-off and vote center requirements.

New Section 404 prohibits federal, state, or local law enforcement officers from making arrests within 200 feet of a polling place on election day, except for crimes related to disrupting the operation of the polling place. This is broader than the existing immigration enforcement prohibition because it covers all arrests by any level of law enforcement.

An urgency clause (new Section 3) was added declaring the bill an urgency statute that takes effect immediately, citing the need to ensure eligible voters can vote safely at the November 3, 2026 general election. This changes the required vote from a simple majority to two-thirds in each house.

A new severability clause (Section 407) was added stating that if any provision of the chapter is held invalid, the remaining provisions continue in effect. The sunset/repeal date provision was renumbered from Section 407 to Section 408.

Assembly Member Valencia was added as a coauthor of the bill.

The bill's title and final section referencing 'civil procedure' were removed. The bill is now framed purely as an elections law rather than also relating to civil procedure.

Adds new Chapter 5 to Division 0.5 of the Elections Code applying to all elections in 2026, 2027, and 2028 (including special elections) but excluding the June 2, 2026 statewide primary.

Requires counties conducting all-mailed ballot elections to provide vote centers starting 20 days before the election (previously 10 days), with a minimum of two vote centers for counties under 50,000 registered voters.

Requires all-mailed ballot counties to provide at least one ballot drop-off location per 7,500 registered voters (previously 15,000) and other counties to provide at least one per 15,000 (previously 30,000), with a minimum of two locations or one for very small counties.

Requires all ballot drop-off locations to be open beginning at least 30 days before the election (previously 28 days).

Extends the deadline for receiving mail ballots from 7 days after election day to 10 days after election day, with provisions for ballots lacking a legible postmark.

Authorizes county elections officials to extend polling place closing times on election day if voting was disrupted by a violation of the immigration enforcement prohibition or the expanded electioneering prohibition. Votes cast during the extension must be provisional ballots held separately from other provisional ballots.

Prohibits any person from performing acts in furtherance of federal immigration law enforcement within 200 feet of polling places, county elections offices, or locations where ballots are counted, canvassed, audited, certified, or recounted. Violations enforceable under Section 18582.

Extends the electioneering prohibition from 100 feet to 200 feet of polling place entrances, elections official offices, satellite locations, and outdoor ballot casting/drop-off sites including curbside voting areas.

The new chapter sunsets and is repealed as of January 1, 2030.

Changes the fiscal note from 'Fiscal committee: no' to 'yes' and 'State-mandated local program: no' to 'yes,' acknowledging that the bill imposes state-mandated local programs with potential reimbursement obligations under the California Constitution.