Elections: voter registration.

Removed all legislative amendment markup (strikethrough text showing prior language) and replaced with clean final text. The operative date is now simply stated as January 1, 2029 rather than showing both the old September 1, 2027 date and the new date.

Section 2(a)(9)(A) language is now cleanly worded as 'the electronic voter registration system shall provide for verification of all of the following information' rather than showing both the struck-through Senate amendment text ('authenticate the identity of the applicant under a process developed by the Secretary of State that verifies') and the replacement text side by side.

Added standard enrolled bill elements: 'Passed the Assembly August 25, 2026,' 'Passed the Senate August 24, 2026,' a line for the Governor's receipt date, and an approval signature block.

The operative date was changed from 'the earlier of January 1, 2027 or five days after the Secretary of State certifies IT infrastructure is functional' to a fixed date of January 1, 2029, removing the conditional trigger and pushing implementation back by roughly two years.

The signature collection requirement was simplified from requiring applicants to 'electronically upload a high-quality digitized image of the applicant's signature through the electronic voter registration system' to a more general requirement that the Secretary of State 'develop a method to collect an electronic image of the applicant's signature,' removing the specific quality and mechanism requirements.

A new provision was added stating that identity verification for applicants without a California driver's license or state ID must use 'the same federal and state verification process used for an affidavit of voter registration submitted on paper' and explicitly does not require the Secretary of State to establish a new interface with the Social Security Administration.

New language was added granting the Secretary of State authority to 'prescribe technical, security, accessibility, quality, retention, and transmission standards necessary to implement' the signature collection method, giving the agency broader rulemaking power over the system's implementation.

The identity authentication process in paragraph (9) was restructured with sub-paragraphs and clarified that verification uses 'information maintained by the Secretary of State or the federal Social Security Administration,' making the data sources more explicit.

Removed the provision (former subdivision (e) of Section 2196) that authorized the Secretary of State to include an application programming interface in the electronic voter registration system, allowing organizations and entities engaged in voter registration outreach to electronically collect and submit affidavits on behalf of applicants. This eliminates a key mechanism for third-party voter registration drives.

Added September 1, 2027 as an additional outer deadline in both Section 1(e) (repeal date) and Section 2(e) (operative date). Previously the provisions would take effect or be repealed on the earlier of January 1, 2027 or five days after the Secretary of State certifies the IT infrastructure is functional. Now September 1, 2027 serves as a backstop so the provisions cannot remain in limbo indefinitely.

Changed terminology throughout from 'upload' to 'collect' or 'provide' when referring to how applicants submit their signature images (e.g., 'uploaded by the applicant pursuant to paragraph (10)' became 'collected pursuant to paragraph (10)'). Also added the word 'method' after 'process' in several places, likely for clarity.

In Section 2196(a)(10), added a parenthetical reference to '(9)' and restructured the sentence to read 'develop a process method to collect an electronic image of a signature for an applicant under paragraph (9) to electronically upload...' This appears to be a drafting clarification but introduces a somewhat awkward double reference.

Section 2 eligibility language changed from requiring the applicant to 'have a valid California driver's license or state identification card' to simply being 'qualified to register to vote.' This removes the DL/ID ownership requirement and opens electronic registration to all qualified voters, including those without any state-issued ID.

Paragraph (7)(A) of Section 2 changed from requiring 'the number from the person's California driver's license or state identification card' to 'If a person has been issued a California driver's license or state identification card, the number from the person's California driver's license or state identification card.' The DL/ID number is now conditional rather than mandatory.

Subdivision (d) of Section 2 expanded to add a second fallback trigger: applicants who are unable to upload an electronic image of their signature under paragraph (10) can also use the print-and-mail option, in addition to those who cannot submit information under paragraph (7).

Bill summary text changed 'electronic voter registration interface' to 'electronic voter registration interface, system' for clarification.

A blank subdivision (f) was inserted before the operative date provision in Section 2. The operative date provision is mislabeled as (e) instead of (g), which appears to be a drafting error.

A person who does not have a California driver's license or state identification card must now also have a social security number in order to submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically. This requirement appears in both the sunset provision (Section 1(e)(2)(A)) and the operative provision (Section 2(f)(2)(A)).

The electronic signature upload process described in Section 2(a)(10) must now be accessible to people with disabilities. This is a new accessibility obligation on the Secretary of State's implementation.

In Section 2(a)(1), the introductory language for the list of acceptable identifiers was revised to add 'pursuant to this section' after the colon, a minor drafting clarification.