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HomeElections CodeDiv. 18Ch. 2§ 18108 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties

§ 18108 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties

Elections Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 18108 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties

This law says that if you get paid to help someone fill out a voter registration form and then you don't turn that form in as required, you can be fined or sent to jail.

Key Takeaways

  • •Getting money or anything valuable to help someone register to vote and then not filing the completed form is a crime.
  • •First offense can bring a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail (or up to a year if the failure is willful).
  • •If you are convicted a third time or more, the fine can rise to $10,000 and jail time can be up to one year.
  • •Public agencies that are official voter‑registration agencies under the federal law are not covered by this rule.

Example

A person is hired by a political group to collect completed voter registration forms from voters and hand them over to the election office. After collecting several forms, they keep the forms and never submit them.

Because they were paid to help register voters and failed to follow the filing rules in Section 2159, they can be charged with a misdemeanor, face a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail (or up to a year if the court finds they did it on purpose).

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 18108 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), a person who receives money or other valuable consideration to assist another to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration from the elector, and fails to comply with Section 2159, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months or if the failure to comply is found to be willful, not exceeding one year, or both. (b) A person who receives money or other valuable consideration to assist another to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration from the elector, upon a third or subsequent conviction, on charges brought and separately tried, for failure to comply with Section 2159 shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or both. (c) This section does not apply to a public agency or its employees that is designated as a voter registration agency pursuant to the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 20501 et seq.), if an elector asks for assistance to register to vote during the course and scope of the agency’s normal business. (Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 123. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

registrationimprisonmentconsiderationconvictionfinemisdemeanoremployeeassistance

Related Statutes

  • § 18108.1 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties
  • § 18108.5 Voter Registration Payment Violations
  • § 107 Top Funders Disclosure Rules
  • § 15104 Vote By Mail Observation
  • § 18100 Voter Registration Fraud Penalties

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 18108.
View Official Source