California voters have secured a landmark victory in protecting equal access to voting.
The California state Legislature voted last month to pass amendments to the California Voting Rights Act (CAVRA), which were signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bills expand and strengthen the existing CAVRA to ensure that voters of color have an equal opportunity to participate in the state’s political process.
The legislation was sponsored by the California Democracy Partnership — which includes a number of state and national pro-democracy partners, including ACLU of Southern California, ACLU of Northern California, UCLA Voting Rights Project, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Campaign Legal Center was proud to support the coalition and legislation.
Enacted in 2002, the CAVRA was the first law of its kind in the nation and later served as the model for the 10 other state voting rights acts (state VRAs) enacted since then.
Although groundbreaking at the time of its enactment, it was more limited in scope than many recently enacted state VRAs. For example, its original protections against racially discriminatory local election methods focused on shifting away from at-large election systems and did not provide a mechanism for redrawing local electoral district boundaries.
Designed to protect all voters from racial and other forms of discrimination in voting, the amendments to the CAVRA incorporate innovations developed since the statute’s enactment and respond to the diminishment of federal voting rights protections. Its expanded protections include:
- Expanding the scope of protections against racially discriminatory local election methods beyond just at-large election systems;
- Enacting new protections against suppressive election policies and practices;
- Making it easier for voters experiencing discrimination to fight back in court and through a collaborative process outside of court;
- Expanding access to language assistance in voting by covering additional languages beyond those required under federal law; and
- Creating a state-level preclearance program, which requires localities with histories of discrimination in voting to obtain preapproval before making electoral changes.
Even in its earlier, more limited form, the CAVRA played an instrumental role in fighting racial discrimination in voting in California. Notably, its protections against racially discriminatory local election systems led to nearly 150 jurisdictions shifting away from at-large election methods, leading to more diverse and representative local governments.
State VRAs are commonsense, pro-voter laws that expand on the protections against racial discrimination found in the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA), which the U.S. Supreme Court has weakened in recent years. They help ensure that every voter can continue to make their voices heard at the ballot box and elect representatives of their choice.
These important pieces of legislation are innovative laws that build on the core protections of the federal VRA to give voters stronger tools to address racial discrimination in voting. As the U.S. Supreme Court has decimated the federal VRA — including in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder and the 2026 case Louisiana v. Callais — states have increasingly stepped in to fill the gap.
In recent years, Campaign Legal Center has collaborated with state and national partners to pass or update state VRAs in Washington, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Maryland, and New Jersey.
Campaign Legal Center also brought the first case under the Washington Voting Rights Act, which challenged a discriminatory at-large election system in Yakima County and produced a historic settlement for Latino voters; as well as the first case under the Virginia Voting Rights Act, which challenged a discriminatory at‑large election system in Virginia Beach and resulted in the adoption of a district-based system that ensures fair representation.
Campaign Legal Center will continue this important work in states across the country to expand voter protections, because our democracy works best when everyone can participate. Join us today.