SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Alanis announced that he introduced his first two bills of the new legislative session last week. His first two bills were introduced to address his constituents’ concerns on election related issues. Both proposals are aimed at furthering the public trust in California’s electoral process.
“Last week, the race for California’s 13th Congressional District was finally called,” said Assemblyman Alanis. “Literally one-twelfth of a year passed before we knew the winner. This is not acceptable and it’s embarrassing for all Californians. Entire nations of similar population and geographical size count their election results in hours. We can and must do better.”
AB 16 will require elections officials to begin processing ballots on the date in which they are first mailed and continuously as they are returned, allowing for shorter delays in results on Election Day.
“I know our local elections officials take great care to protect the integrity of our elections,” added Alanis. “However, we have to address the policies Sacramento has set for the state that are directly contributing to painfully slow counting and eroding the public’s trust. I am not trying to impact the accessibility of voting, but rather to get results to the public quicker. I don’t blame local officials; this is a Sacramento-created problem, and we must fix it.”
AB 17 will further enhance public access to county election information by requiring local registrar of voters to make available information regarding the effective boundaries of each precinct within the county.
“It’s important that now, more than ever, we take steps to rebuild that trust and further the engagement of the public in our electoral process,” added Alanis. “The voters should have public access to all boundaries and geographical lines drawn for them related to their responsibility to vote.”
Alanis recognized that many other elected officials on both sides of the aisle are considering their own election-related proposals this year. He stated Monday on the Floor that he is committed to bipartisan work to find ways to achieve results that improve California’s electoral process.
“I am open to dialog, discussion and debate on these ideas,” added Alanis. “I understand this is a sensitive issue to many. Getting things done will require real honest discussions and hard work. I am here to work with anyone to make our elections more efficient.”
AB 16 and AB 17 were introduced on the first day of the 2025-26 legislative year, which convened on December 2nd. Members will return on January 6th.
Assemblymember Juan Alanis represents the 22nd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Denair, Patterson, Gustine, Newman, Hilmar, Ballico, Snelling, Keyes, Grayson, Crows Landing, Diablo Grande, Stevinson, & Empire.
