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. – Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee and former California Secretary of State, along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), led a group of...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, and Brian Lemek, Executive Director of Defend the Vote, penned an...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chuck Schumer...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee and former California Secretary of State, along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), led a group of...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, and Brian Lemek, Executive Director of Defend the Vote, penned an...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chuck Schumer...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 opinion authored by Justice Alito in Louisiana v. Callais that a minority-opportunity district in...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After leading the fight to defeat the SAVE Act in the Senate, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) is pressing forward to protect our elections by introducing the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act (Absentee MVP Act) with Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to block President Trump’s...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, held the Senate floor for a fourth time to continue leading the Democratic opposition to...
SAN JOSE, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, issued the following statement as President Trump issued a sweeping illegal election “takeover” executive...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, issued the following statement after leading Democrats’ efforts to successfully block Republicans’ voter suppression amendment to advance the SAVE America Act,...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, continued leading Democrats’ charge against the anti-voter SAVE America Act. In a speech on the...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and several of their Senate colleagues joined leading voting rights advocates and impacted voters from across...