Voting and Civil Rights

Alex believes that our democracy is strongest when every eligible American participates. That’s why he’s spent his career fighting to expand and preserve voting rights. While serving as California’s Secretary of State, Alex implemented automatic and same-day voter registration, expanded vote-by-mail, and launched early vote centers. These key reforms led to record voter registration and participation in California and have become a model for the rest of the nation.  In the U.S. Senate, Alex is a champion for stronger voting rights, bipartisan election administration reforms, and increased funding to modernize and secure our elections.

And because Alex believes in an America made stronger by its diversity, he’s consistently fought to protect the civil rights of all Americans. In the face of an alarming rise in hate crimes over the last few years, Alex cosponsored legislation, later signed into law by President Biden, to address the rise in hate crimes and violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because Americans of every race, faith, and belief deserve to be treated with dignity.

Recent News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), applauded the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) efforts...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced the Equal Health Care for All Act, bicameral legislation that would make equal access to medical care a protected civil right to help address the racial inequities and...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), applauded the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) efforts...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced the Equal Health Care for All Act, bicameral legislation that would make equal access to medical care a protected civil right to help address the racial inequities and...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Rules Committee and California’s former Secretary of State, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led a group of 13 Senators in urging...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Rules Committee and California’s former Secretary of State, and Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35) introduced bicameral legislation to improve voter registration efforts at naturalization ceremonies. The Including...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) as well as Representative Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.-15) introduced the bicameral LGBTQI+ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act. The bill would require financial institutions to collect data on...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Puerto Rico Status Act, legislation that lays out a process for the people of Puerto Rico to determine the island’s future...
WATCH: Senator Padilla pushes for Supreme Court term limits WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in introducing the...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections and campaign finance law and California’s former Secretary of State, joined Senate Democrats in introducing the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation to improve access to...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the ten-year anniversary of Shelby v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision that struck down the preclearance formula for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating protections against...