Elections: ballot disclosures.

Assembly Member Ortega envisions a ballot-disclosure reform that would require the three largest donors of $100,000 or more to all committees that paid for circulating statewide initiative or statewide referendum measures to be printed on the ballot immediately after the list of supporters and opponents.

The measure would direct the Secretary of State to identify the top contributors based on cumulative $100,000-plus contributions and to present the three names on the ballot with a delineated label that changes for initiatives versus referenda. For initiatives, after a blank line, the ballot would display “Top Funders of Petition to Qualify Ballot Measure” followed by the three names; for referenda, the label would read “Top Funders of Petition to Overturn the Law.” Each top contributor would be separated by semicolons, with the option to print “None of $100,000 or more” if there are no qualifying donors. The bill requires the top contributor information to be shortened using approved abbreviations and specific deletions (e.g., removing leading articles, certain legal designators, and other nonessential words) and allows substitutions when a contributor is a candidate-controlled committee or a Yes/No ballot-measure committee.

To accompany the ballot printing, the Secretary of State would maintain a public copy of the top contributors prior to their printing and would provide a mechanism for a writ of mandate to require refinements if the contributor listings are challenged. The list of supporters and opponents on the ballot would continue to be drawn from the signers or the text of the arguments in favor or against the measure, with character limits and eligibility criteria that govern who may appear (including nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals) and under which circumstances. In addition, the bill would require documentation proving four-year existence or equivalent criteria for listed nonprofit organizations or businesses and would authorize the Secretary of State to verify submissions and seek resubmission if requirements are not met.

Implementation would apply only to statewide initiatives or statewide referendums for which the Attorney General delivers a circulating title and summary to proponents on or after January 1, 2026, and would be treated as a state-mandated local program to the extent it increases county election duties. The measure also addresses cost considerations through existing constitutional reimbursement provisions, with final compliance contingent on determinations by the Commission on State Mandates. The AG’s role includes providing a true and impartial statement in the ballot title and summary and inviting public comment during preparation.