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Committee advances bill to restrict inflammatory content in official voter guide statements
Summary
AB 18 53 would limit candidate statements in the state and county voter information guides to factual material about a candidate’s background and qualifications and ban attacks, links to external content, false claims, and hateful content; proponents cited a recent offensive gubernatorial statement in the official guide while opponents cautioned about First Amendment limits.
AB 18 53, introduced to tighten standards for candidate statements printed in the official state and county voter information guides, was advanced out of the committee with the sponsor signaling amendments to address First Amendment concerns.
The bill would limit candidate statements to information about a candidate’s education, professional experience, community involvement and qualifications for office, and would authorize elections officials to reject statements that include attacks, false or misleading claims, links to inappropriate external content, or material that is hateful or incites violence. It would also allow any voter to seek expedited judicial relief to enforce those rules.
Miller Saltzman, director of policy and partnerships at Jewish California, said the measure responds to a recent gubernatorial candidate statement that included “anti‑Semitic conspiracy theories, white nationalist rhetoric, and links to websites filled with racist, homophobic and other hateful content,” and that the state should not amplify such material in an official publication.
“Hate speech in a state sponsored document sent to all voters spreads hate and sends a message that this speech is acceptable,” Saltzman said, urging the committee to pass the bill.
Opponents and some committee members raised free‑speech concerns and asked how officials would apply standards without becoming the judge of content. The author said the measure would be refined as it moves to the Committee on Judiciary to ensure constitutional protections are respected and that the bill would include a cure process for candidates whose statements are challenged.
The committee recorded a motion to pass and refer AB 18 53 to Rules (with planned referral to Judiciary for First Amendment work). Supporters said the proposal aims to prevent the state's official voter guide from being used to legitimize hateful or conspiratorial content.
