California Signature Matching Challenge

Lawsuit filed by the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) and two voters against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) challenging California’s signature matching requirement. Under current state law, a voter’s signature on a mail-in ballot envelope must match the signature on file in their voter registration record. The plaintiffs allege that California’s signature matching process is “inconsistent and unreliable” and leads to thousands of lawfully cast ballots being discarded every election. CARA estimates nearly 50,000 voters were disenfranchised during the 2020 election and another 50,000 during the 2022 election due to perceived signature mismatches. The plaintiffs argue this violates the state constitution, which protects the right of every lawful voter to have their ballot counted. They also argue that the secretary is illegally expending tax dollars on signature matching in a manner that violates the state constitution. The plaintiffs ask the court to rule that the signature matching requirement is unconstitutional and block Weber and other state election officials from enforcing it.

The plaintiffs filed their complaint on June 26, 2024.

STATUS: On July 15, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. The next day, the RNC and several other Republican organizations moved to intervene in the case to defend the state’s signature matching policies. Litigation is ongoing.

Last updated: August 22, 2024 11:40 am EST