Title ELEC — California Elec. Code

Each group of names of candidates for a particular office shall be separated from the succeeding group. Each series of groups shall be headed by a caption that reads “President of the United States,” “President and Vice President,” “State,” “United States Senator,” “United States…

All sides of the columns on the ballot shall be bordered. The binding or stitching of each package of ballots shall be along the top or head of the ballot. If ballots are to be used on a ballot on demand system or another system that prints content onto ballots, ballots are not r…

(a) The ballots may be printed on the same leaf with a stub not over one inch in depth. The stub may be separated from the ballot by a horizontal perforated line or rule from side to side. Upon this stub shall be printed only the number of the ballot. (b) Stubs are not required o…

A ballot stub may be used for a ballot. The ballots may contain printed and distinguishing marks if secrecy in voting is protected.

(a) The number on each ballot shall be the same as that on the corresponding stub, and the ballots and stubs shall be numbered consecutively in each county, or the ballots and stubs may be numbered consecutively within each combination of congressional, senatorial, and Assembly d…

(a) The Secretary of State shall establish a ballot design advisory committee to assist the Secretary of State to promulgate regulations that prescribe ballot design and format. (b) The ballot design advisory committee shall consist of the Secretary of State, or the secretary’s d…

When printed, all ballots shall be bound in stub books, of such size as the clerk may determine. A record of the number of ballots printed shall be kept by the officer authorizing the printing. If stubs are not used pursuant to Section 13216, ballots may be bound by another metho…

If two or more officers are to be elected for the same office for different terms, the terms for which each candidate for the office is nominated shall be printed on the ballot as a part of the title of the office. If at a general election an office is to be filled for a full ter…

(a) If the county elections official determines that, due to the number of candidates and measures that must be printed on the ballot, the ballot will be larger than may be conveniently handled, the county elections official may provide that a nonpartisan ballot shall be given to…

If the elections official of any county finds it necessary in connection with the use of any approved method of vote counting, the elections official may provide for any of the following changes in the format of ballots in one or more precincts at any election: (a) Ballots may be…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the purpose of conducting the Democratic Party Presidential Primary Election, the Secretary of State may, if it is reasonably necessary to accommodate the limitations of a voter system or vote tabulating device, authorize the county…

In a municipal election, if the number of candidates for an office is such that all of the names will not fit in one column of reasonable length, a double column may be used, and all of the following provisions shall apply: (a) The space between the two halves of the double colum…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this code, the ballots to be counted by means of electronic or electromechanical devices may be of a size, composition, and texture that, and may be printed in any type of ink or combination of inks that, will be suitable for use in the cou…

The names of the candidates and the respective offices shall be printed on the ballot in parallel columns at least 2 inches wide.

Where electromechanical vote tabulating devices are used to count all or part of the ballots, the names of presidential candidates may be printed in the same column as the names of candidates for other offices. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

The ballots may contain printed code marks or punched holes that may be used for placing the ballots in correct reading position in the counting devices. The code marks or punched holes shall not be used in any way that will reveal the identity of the voters voting the ballots. (…

The county voter information guide provided pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 13300) shall include a substantial facsimile of the official ballot, including instructions to voters.

The device for marking the ballot may be of any size, shape, or form, and the impression made on the ballot may be in the form of a cross, square, circle, rectangle, or any other design that will clearly indicate the choice of the voter. Any type of ink or other substance that wi…

The statement of all measures submitted to the voters shall be abbreviated on the ballot in a ballot label as provided for in Section 9051. The ballot label shall be followed by the words, “Yes” and “No”, except for a statewide referendum measure. The ballot label for a statewide…

Whenever the Attorney General prepares a condensed ballot title and summary, the Attorney General shall file a copy of the condensed ballot title and summary with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall make a copy of the condensed ballot title and summary as require…

A member of each precinct board shall cause the following voting information to be publicly posted at each polling place: (a) A sample version of the ballot that will be used for the election. (b) Information regarding the date of the election and the hours during which polling p…

(a) In counties and precincts where the Secretary of State has determined that it is appropriate, the county elections official shall provide facsimile copies of the ballot, as described in subdivision (b), with the ballot measures and ballot instructions printed in Spanish, one …

(a) Before opening the polls, the precinct board shall post in separate, convenient places at or near the polling place, and of easy access to the voters, at least one printed copy of the voter list for that polling place. The copies of the voter list shall be by street address i…

The precinct officer shall post the signs required by Section 14106 in plain view within each voting booth or compartment whenever an election has been canceled pursuant to Section 8026. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

The members of each precinct board shall distribute the duties devolving upon the precinct board, which are in addition to their individual duties, in a manner they deem most advantageous. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

The polling places shall be arranged so that neither the ballot containers nor the voting booths or compartments shall be hidden from the view of those present. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

The polls shall be open at 7 a.m. of the day of any election, and shall be kept open until 8 p.m. of the same day, when the polls shall be closed, except as provided in Sections 4005 and 14401.

Before the precinct board receives any ballots, it shall proclaim aloud at the place of election that the polls are open. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Voting shall commence as soon as the polls are opened and shall be continued during the time the polls remain open. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Before receiving any ballots, the precinct board, in the presence of any persons assembled at the polling place, shall open and exhibit and close the ballot container or containers. Thereafter, the ballot container or containers shall not be removed from the polling place or pres…

(a) Any person desiring to vote shall state or provide his or her name and address and, upon the precinct officers finding the name in the roster, the voter shall then sign his or her name in the space provided or, if the voter is unable to sign, shall have his or her name signed…

If the precinct board is unable to find a voter’s name upon the roster, it shall inform the voter that he or she may cast a provisional ballot and the procedure for doing so. If the voter elects to cast a provisional ballot, the precinct board shall furnish the voter with a provi…

If the surname of any person offering to vote has been changed since the person has registered, the person shall sign his or her name as it was before the change and also the appropriate name as it is at the time the person votes, indicating on the roster on the same line by brac…

The precinct board shall provide, upon request, to a voter for use in the voting booth or compartment, a copy of the facsimile ballot containing ballot measures and instructions printed in Spanish or in other languages, as required by Section 14201, unless county voter informatio…

At any election, a majority of the members of any precinct board shall be present at the polling place at all times while the polling place is open. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Only voters engaged in receiving, preparing, or depositing their ballots and persons authorized by the precinct board to keep order and enforce the law may be permitted to be within the voting booth area before the closing of the polls. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Nothing contained in this code shall prevent a voter from being accompanied by a child or children under the age of 18 years while the voter is within the voting booth area if the child is, or children are, under the voter’s care.

(a) Only members of the precinct board, and persons while signing their names on the roster, shall be permitted, during the hours within which voting is in progress, to sit at the desk or table used by the precinct board. (b) Any person may inspect the roster while voting is in p…

(a) Except as provided in Section 14222, a voting booth or compartment shall not be occupied by more than one person at a time, unless the voter is eligible under the assisted-voter provisions. (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a voter shall not remain in or occupy a v…

Members of the precinct board shall not deposit in the ballot container any ballot from which the slip containing the number of the ballot has not been removed by a member of the precinct board and handed to the voter. This section does not apply to a vote by mail ballot.

Any member of the precinct board, when using a language other than English at the polls, shall communicate with voters in that language only as he or she would be lawfully permitted to communicate in English under the code. The member shall be subject to like penalty for any ille…

(a) At a partisan primary election, before providing a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference with a nonpartisan ballot or before the voter enters the voting booth, as applicable, a member of the precinct board shall provide a uniform notification to the …

(a) A person offering to vote may be orally challenged within the polling place only by a member of the precinct board upon any or all of the following grounds: (1) That the voter is not the person whose name appears on the roster. (2) That the voter is not a resident of the prec…

A piece of mailed matter returned undelivered by the post office shall not be accepted or used as evidence upon which to initiate a challenge as to residency by any member of the precinct board unless other evidence or testimony is also presented, nor shall the mailed matter, sta…

The ground for challenge set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 14240 shall not apply to any person duly registered as a voter in any precinct in California and moving from that precinct within 14 days prior to an election.

If the challenge is on the ground that the person seeking to vote is not the person whose name appears on the roster, a member of the precinct board shall tender the following oath: “You do swear (or affirm) that you are the person whose name is entered on the roster.”

If the challenge is on the ground that the person seeking to vote is not a resident of the precinct, or in an election conducted using a voter center, not a resident of the county, the person challenged shall be sworn to answer questions, and after having been sworn, a member of …

If the challenge is on the ground that the person challenged has already cast a ballot for this election, a member of the precinct board shall tender to the person challenged this oath: “You do swear (or affirm) that you have not previously voted in this election, either by vote …

If the challenge is on the ground either that the person challenged is not the person whose name appears on the roster, or that he or she has voted that day, the challenge shall be determined in favor of the person challenged if that person takes the oath as set forth either in S…

Challenges of voters that they are not residents of the precinct or citizens of the United States shall be tried and determined by the precinct board at the time of the challenge. The precinct board may, at its discretion, also request any other person, present in the polling pla…