SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Juan Alanis announced today the unanimous passage of Assembly Bill 16 (AB 16) off the Assembly Floor. This bill clarifies that county elections officials may begin processing vote-by-mail ballots up to 29 days before an election. It now advances to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature.
“California’s electoral system is large and complex, handling millions of votes each cycle. Local elections officials are increasingly challenged to meet the high standard of timely and accurate results that voters expect,” said Assemblyman Alanis. “AB 16 simply helps counties get a head start on the paperwork, freeing up critical staff and resources to ensure smooth, efficient, and secure in-person operations on Election Day. This isn’t about changing outcomes, it’s about building public trust through greater transparency and faster, more reliable results.”
AB 16 encourages county elections officials to utilize all available tools upfront to manage the growing volume of vote-by-mail ballots. By allowing earlier processing of return envelopes, damaged ballots, and write-in votes, while still strictly prohibiting any access to vote counts until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, this bill eases administrative burdens without altering existing rules on when or how ballots are tallied.
AB 16 had bipartisan support throughout the legislative process and now heads to the Governor for his signature or consideration. If signed into law, it would join AB 17 to give Alanis’ election package a clean sweep this year.
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.
