Title ELEC, California Elec. Code

Each candidate or group of candidates shall submit a nomination paper that shall be substantially in the following form: County of _______. Nomination paper of ______, candidate for the office of _______. State of California County of ⎱ ⎰ ss. SIGNER’S STATEMENT I, undersigned, am…

(a) FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES; BALLOT ACCESS. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of State, or other elections official authorized by law, shall not accept or verify the signatures on any nomination paper for any person, nor shall he or she certify or p…

No insufficiency in a petition against any officer shall bar the later filing of a new petition against that officer. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

If a petition is found insufficient by the elections official or, in the case of the recall of a state officer, the Secretary of State, the petition signatures may be examined in accordance with Section Article 2 (commencing with Section 7924.100) of Chapter 2 of Part 5 of Divisi…

(a) Except as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), if a vacancy occurs in an office after a recall petition is filed against the vacating officer, the recall election shall nevertheless proceed. (b) (1) Upon the occurrence of the vacancy, the elections official for each…

A voter who has signed a recall petition shall have their signature withdrawn from the petition upon filing a written request that includes the name or title of the petition and the voter’s name, residence address, and signature with the elections official prior to the day the pe…

Any voter, or any individual who possesses the qualifications set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 12302, may file an application with the elections official for the position of precinct board member. The elections official may require the application be made …

The persons appointed to serve as election officers for each precinct at any election shall constitute the precinct board for that precinct. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), a member of a precinct board shall be a voter of the state. The member may serve only in the precinct for which his or her appointment is received. (b) (1) In order to provide for a greater awareness of the elections process, th…

(a) A person who cannot read or write the English language is not eligible to act as a member of any precinct board. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that non-English-speaking citizens, like all other citizens, should be encouraged to vote. Therefore, appropriate efforts s…

(a) The composition of the precinct board shall be determined by the elections official based on election precinct size. The precinct board shall consist of a minimum of one inspector and two clerks. Additional clerk positions may be allocated in proportion to the number of regis…

The county elections official of any county, in appointing members of the several precinct boards to serve in the direct primary and general elections under the provisions of this code, shall permit the county central committee of each qualified political party to nominate for ap…

Upon filing the list of names and addresses of those who have been appointed members of the precinct board, the elections official shall immediately mail or deliver to each voter so appointed, a notice stating the appointment and the position to which assigned, the penalty for fa…

(a) Following the appointment of members of precinct boards, the elections official shall instruct inspectors so appointed concerning their duties in connection with the conduct of the election, which instruction shall conform to the uniform standards adopted by the Secretary of …

(a) No later than June 30, 2005, the Secretary of State shall adopt uniform standards for the training of precinct board members, based upon the recommendations of the task force appointed pursuant to subdivision (b). The uniform standards shall, at a minimum, address the followi…

Each member of a precinct board shall receive compensation from the governing body of the jurisdiction. This sum shall be paid out of the treasury of the jurisdiction in which the election is held. The inspector may receive more compensation than the other members of the precinct…

No public agency shall be required as the result of any assignment or transfer to pay the stipend of an election officer for services to any person other than the election officer to whom the stipend is due. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 725, Sec. 23. Effective January 1, 1997.)

A person shall not be suspended or discharged from any service or employment because of absence while serving as an election officer. (Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 806, Sec. 37. (SB 286) Effective January 1, 2018.)

(a) If any member of a precinct board does not appear at the opening of the polls on the morning of an election, those voters present, including members of the board, shall appoint a voter to fill the vacancy. If none of the members appointed appears at that time, the voters of t…

The inspector may appoint a voter to replace any precinct board member who ceases to act or becomes incapacitated during the progress of an election. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 725, Sec. 24. Effective January 1, 1997.)

If the inspector ceases to act, a majority of the remaining members of the precinct board may appoint a substitute. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

In constituting precinct boards, the elections official may excuse persons appointed whom the elections official is satisfied ought to be excused. Substitutions may be made when any person appointed is excused or found disqualified or incompetent, until a final or amended list of…

(a) Following the notification of the precinct board members appointed pursuant to Section 12307, the county elections official shall mail or deliver to the county central committee of each qualified political party a copy of the list, and the elections official may notify the sa…

The elections official shall immediately mail or deliver to each person appointed as inspector a notice showing the precinct polling place and the voters appointed to serve as election officers in that precinct. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 725, Sec. 26. Effective January 1, 1997…

No person is eligible to act as an election officer until the declaration required by Section 12321 has been signed. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

(a) (1) Each inspector shall sign a declaration of intention to faithfully discharge the duties of inspector and shall return it to the elections official at least 15 days before election day or the first day of service at a vote center. If the inspector fails or refuses to sign …

(a) If the precinct board members for any precinct have not been appointed or cannot serve, or the polling place has not been designated prior to an election, the county elections official shall, by written order, immediately appoint the precinct board members or designate the po…

At any election, all members of the precinct board shall be present at the closing of the polls. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

When the polls are closed, the precinct board shall proclaim that fact aloud at the place of election. After the proclamation no ballot shall be received. However, if at the hour of closing there are any other voters in the polling place, or in line at the door, who are qualified…

Any one who arrives at the polling place after the time provided for closing the polls shall not be entitled to vote, even though the polls are open when the voter arrives. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

If the time for closing the polls is extended pursuant to a court order, all votes cast during the time that the closing of the polls is extended shall be by provisional ballot. Any provisional ballots cast pursuant to this section shall be separated and held apart from other pro…

(a) Immediately upon the closing of the polls and before any voted ballot is taken from any of the ballot containers, the precinct board member shall, in the presence of all persons in the room who may desire to observe them, proceed to render the unused ballots unusable in one o…

(a) Immediately upon the arrival of the hour when the polls are required by law to be closed on election day, the elections official conducting the election shall openly, in the elections official’s main office, in the presence of any persons who are present to observe, according…

(a) The members of the precinct board shall account for the ballots delivered to them by returning a sufficient number of unused ballots to make up, when added to the number of official ballots cast and the number of spoiled and canceled ballots returned, the number of ballots gi…

This chapter applies to all elections. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 1073, Sec. 31. Effective January 1, 1999.)

(a) The canvass shall commence no later than the Thursday following the election, shall be open to the public, and, for state or statewide elections, shall result in a report of results to the Secretary of State. (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the canvass shall be c…

The official canvass shall include, but not be limited to, the following tasks: (a) An inspection of all materials and supplies returned by poll workers. (b) A reconciliation of the number of signatures on the roster with the number of ballots recorded on the ballot statement. (c…

If the returns from any precinct are incomplete, ambiguous, not properly authenticated, or otherwise defective, the elections official may issue and serve subpoenas requiring members of the precinct board to appear and be examined under oath concerning the manner in which votes w…

In jurisdictions using a central counting place, the elections official may appoint not less than three deputies to open the envelopes or containers with the materials returned from the precincts. If, after examination, any of the materials are incomplete, ambiguous, not properly…

(a) For purposes of this section, “unprocessed ballot” means a voted polling place ballot, voted vote by mail ballot, voted provisional ballot, or voted conditional registration ballot that has not yet been counted or processed for counting. (b) On the second day after the electi…

(a) Beginning no later than the Thursday following an election, and until the time specified in subdivision (b), an elections official shall post updated information regarding the election on their internet website at least two times by the following Thursday and at least twice a…

(a) On or before the 13th day following the election, an elections official shall finish counting all ballots, except those described in subdivision (b), and shall release the vote count for those ballots. (b) The requirement to finish counting all ballots and release the vote co…

In addition to any other penalty, a person who prints or otherwise duplicates, or causes to be printed or duplicated, a simulated ballot or simulated county voter information guide that does not contain the statement required by Section 20009, or that uses an official seal or ins…

(a) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor who knowingly causes to be mailed or distributed, or knowingly mails or distributes, literature to a voter that includes a designation of the voter’s precinct polling place other than a precinct polling place listed for that voter in an off…

Every person who violates Section 84305 of the Government Code relating to mass mailing is subject to the penal provisions set forth in Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 91000) of Title 9 of the Government Code. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

(a) Any person who uses or allows to be used any reproduction or facsimile of the seal of the county or the seal of a local government agency in any campaign literature or mass mailing, as defined in Section 82041.5 of the Government Code, with intent to deceive the voters, is gu…