Penal ProvisionsVoter Registration
Section § 18100
This law states that it is a crime to knowingly register oneself or another person as a voter if that person is not eligible to vote. Additionally, it is illegal to sign or submit a false voter registration for a person who doesn't exist, such as a deceased person or an imaginary entity. Violators can face prison time ranging from 16 months to three years or up to one year in county jail.
Section § 18101
This law states that if someone knowingly fills out or helps fill out a voter registration form for someone who doesn't exist or didn't ask to be registered, they are committing a crime. The penalty could be up to three years in state prison or up to one year in county jail.
Section § 18102
This law states that any election official who knowingly registers a fake person, uses a false name or address, or registers someone who is not eligible to vote can be punished with jail time or imprisonment. Penalties include imprisonment for 16 months, two years, or three years, or up to one year in county jail.
Section § 18103
This law makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly or carelessly delay or interfere with the delivery of a completed voter registration form to the county elections official. It's also illegal to keep a voter's completed registration card without their permission for more than three days, not counting weekends and state holidays, or after voter registration has closed. Additionally, it is against the law to prevent a voter from submitting their own registration card to the county elections official. Violating this law is considered a misdemeanor and can result in a fine of up to $1,000.
Section § 18104
This law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone responsible for handling voter registration forms to deliberately not return them as required. If they fail to do so, the county elections official must report them to the district attorney, who will then decide on the necessary legal action, either civil or criminal.
Section § 18105
This law states that voter registration forms cannot have any statements showing support or opposition to a candidate or issue. Only the person registering can fill out these forms, and nothing else should be added by others. Anyone who breaks this rule is committing a misdemeanor, which is a minor crime.
Section § 18106
This law states that if someone, without consent, intentionally changes or damages a person's political party declaration on their voter registration form, they can be punished with jail time. The penalties can range from 16 months to three years in state prison, or up to one year in county jail. However, this does not apply to election officials who are doing their official duties.
Section § 18107
If someone intentionally breaks the rules outlined in Section 2158, they're committing a minor legal offense called an infraction. They could be fined up to $200 for this violation.
Section § 18108
This law states that if someone is paid to help others register to vote by collecting their completed registration forms, they must follow specific rules (Section 2159). If they don't and it's their first or second offense, they may face a misdemeanor charge with penalties including a fine of up to $1,000, county jail time up to six months, or if done intentionally, up to a year of imprisonment or both. If they've been convicted three times or more for this specific failure, the penalties increase to a fine of up to $10,000, jail time up to a year, or both.
However, this law doesn't apply to public agencies or their employees, designated as voter registration agencies under federal law, when helping people register as part of their normal duties.
Section § 18108.1
If someone gets paid to help others register to vote and lies about their role in doing so on the registration form, they can be charged with a misdemeanor. This is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.
If the person is caught doing this three or more times, the fine can increase to $10,000, with possible jail time extending to one year, or both penalties.
This law does not apply to public agencies or their employees that assist with voter registration as part of their usual duties under a federal voter registration law.
Section § 18108.5
This law states that any person, company, or organization that pays someone to help register voters and doesn't follow specific rules (Section 2159.5) can face criminal charges. Violations can result in fines up to $1,000, jail time up to six months, or both, with harsher penalties for willful violations or repeat offenses. Specifically, for a third or later violation, the fine can increase to $10,000, and jail time can be up to one year.
If an elections official finds three or more problematic voter registration affidavits, they need to inform the organization or person responsible. The official can also send details to the district attorney to consider legal action.
This section does not apply to public agencies or their workers assisting with voter registration during their regular duties under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Section § 18109
This law makes it a misdemeanor for someone to misuse certain voter information. If you have access to specific voter registration details, you can't use them for just any reason—they must be used legally. Plus, you can't get or use voter info from the Secretary of State or county elections officials unless you follow the proper legal procedures first.
Section § 18110
This law section states that it's illegal for anyone to reveal the home address or phone number from a voter registration card of certain protected individuals, like active or retired peace officers, police department employees, and their families, without permission.
If someone does so and it's against the rules of another specified section (Section 2194), they're committing a misdemeanor. However, if revealing this information leads to bodily harm to those individuals, the offense becomes a felony.
Section § 18111
This law states that anyone who knowingly breaks Section 2138.5 commits an infraction, which is a minor legal violation. The punishment can be a fine up to $500. Importantly, being charged under this specific section doesn't stop the person from being prosecuted under other laws that might also apply.
Section § 18112
If someone is found guilty of breaking a rule in this chapter, the court might stop them from earning money or getting anything valuable in exchange for helping others register to vote during their probation.