Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Committee advances SB 46 to give Secretary of State clearer authority to remove constitutionally ineligible presidential candidates

California State Senate Elections Committee · January 13, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

SB 46 would amend the Elections Code to clarify the California Secretary of State's authority to remove presidential or vice-presidential candidates who are constitutionally ineligible; proponents cited Keyes v. Bowen and comparative state practices, while the Secretary of State urged alternate language to avoid politicizing the office.

Senator Umberg introduced SB 46 as a technical change to the California Elections Code to clarify that the Secretary of State has authority to remove individuals from the ballot who are constitutionally ineligible to serve as president or vice president. Umberg said the change would overturn the practical effect of the 2010 Court of Appeal decision in Keyes v. Bowen and bring California in line with other states that have procedures to remove ineligible candidates.

Deborah Perlin of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington testified in pending support, arguing that…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans