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AB-1040 • 2026

Elections: residency: displacement by natural disaster.

Elections: residency: displacement by natural disaster.

Elections
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Essayli
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how long a person can be away before losing their right to vote in their original area, but this information is not explicitly mentioned as part of the bill's scope.

Elections: Residency Rules During Natural Disasters

This law says people who leave their homes because of natural disasters do not lose the right to vote in their original home area if they plan to return there or move to another place within the same area.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines a person's residence for voting as where they live and intend to return to after leaving due to a disaster.
  • Says people who leave because of natural disasters do not lose their right to vote in their original home area if they plan to come back or move to another place within the same area.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are displaced from their homes due to natural disasters

Terms To Know

Domicile
The place where a person lives and intends to return to after being away.
Residence
For voting purposes, it is the same as domicile.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if someone does not intend to return to their original home.
  • The bill's text does not mention any specific natural disasters or areas.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2026-01-31 California Legislative Information

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. 2025-03-10 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

  4. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  5. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1040, as introduced, Essayli.
Elections: residency: displacement by natural disaster.
Existing law defines “residence” for voting purposes as a person’s domicile. Existing law describes the domicile of a person for voting purposes as that place in which their habitation is fixed, wherein the person has the intention of remaining, and to which, whenever they are absent, the person has the intention of returning. Existing law provides that a person who leaves their home to go into another state or precinct in this state for temporary purposes, with the intention of returning, does not lose their domicile.
This bill would additionally provide that a person who leaves their home for temporary purposes because of a natural disaster, and who intends to return to that home or to another address within the same jurisdiction, does not lose their domicile at that home.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF