Overview

• SB 398 immediately outlaws offering payments or prize-based incentives to induce voter registration or voting in California.
• Violations under SB 398 are punishable by imprisonment, fines up to $10,000, or both.
• Before this change, paying someone to register to vote was not a crime under California law.
• SB 42 places a measure on the November 2026 ballot to repeal the statewide ban on public financing, allowing any city or county to create publicly funded election programs.
• Officials framed the moves as protecting elections from billionaire-driven schemes, with coverage noting scrutiny of Elon Musk’s $1 million sweepstakes in 2024.