Bill > AB596

This bill amends the Elections Code to require that the three largest contributors of $100,000 or more to petition circulation committees for statewide ballot measures be printed directly on the ballot. Specifically, for both initiative and referendum measures, after the list of supporters and opponents, the ballot will now include a section titled "Top Funders of Petition to Qualify Ballot Measure" (for initiatives) or "Top Funders of Petition to Overturn the Law" (for referendums), which will list these top contributors. The bill provides detailed guidelines for how contributors' names can be shortened to fit on the ballot, such as removing words like "incorporated" or using approved abbreviations, to ensure readability. The Secretary of State must make the list of top contributors available for public examination before printing, and voters can seek a legal mandate to amend or delete contributors if necessary. The provisions will only apply to statewide measures for which the official summary is dated on or after January 1, 2026, and the bill includes provisions to ensure that if including these contributors would require an additional ballot card, the type size can be minimally reduced while maintaining readability.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Labor and Employment

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB596