Title ELEC, California Elec. Code

Failure to comply with this chapter shall not affect the validity of any bond issue following the sale and delivery of the bonds. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

The Legislature declares that the essence of compliance with this chapter is good faith in presenting to voters the most accurate available information for their use in effecting comparisons and exercising judgment in casting their ballots. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. …

Whenever the elections official is required to mail a statement, as provided in Section 9401, only one copy of the statement shall be mailed to a postal address where two or more registered voters have the same surname and the same postal address. This section shall only apply if…

A plurality of the votes given at any election shall constitute a choice where not otherwise directed in the California Constitution, provided that it shall be competent in all charters of cities, counties, or cities and counties framed under the authority of the California Const…

The nominees for a voter-nominated office shall be determined in accordance with Section 8141.5 and subdivision (b) of Section 8142. (Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 1, Sec. 57. (SB 6) Effective January 1, 2010. Operative January 1, 2011, pursuant to Sec. 67 of Ch. 1.)

The person who receives a plurality of the votes cast for any office is elected or nominated to that office in any election, except: (a) An election for which different provision is made by any city or county charter. (b) A municipal election for which different provision is made…

Within five days after the end of the time allowed for filing statements of contest, the clerk of the superior court shall notify the superior court of the county of all statements filed. The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which time shal…

The clerk of the superior court shall thereupon issue a citation for the defendant to appear at the time and place specified in the order, which citation shall be delivered to the sheriff and served upon the party at least five days before the time so specified, by either of the …

The clerk of the superior court shall issue subpoenas for witnesses at the request of any party, which shall be served as other subpoenas. The superior court may issue attachments to compel the attendance of witnesses who have been subpoenaed to attend. (Amended by Stats. 1996, C…

The contestant shall, in the first instance, be liable for the expenses involved in making any recount. He or she shall pay into court in advance each day a sum that the judge finds sufficient to pay all recount expenses that will have accrued by the end of that day. The sums pai…

Any person who commits fraud or attempts to commit fraud, and any person who aids or abets fraud or attempts to aid or abet fraud, in connection with any vote cast, to be cast, or attempted to be cast, is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment for 16 months or two or thre…

Any public official who knowingly violates any of the provisions of this chapter, and thereby aids in any way the illegal casting or attempting to cast a vote, or who connives to nullify any of the provisions of this chapter in order that fraud may be perpetrated, shall forever b…

(a) Any person who in any manner interferes with the officers holding an election or conducting a canvass, as to prevent the election or canvass from being fairly held and lawfully conducted, or with the voters lawfully exercising their rights of voting at an election, is punisha…

An employer who violates Section 14004 shall be subject to a civil fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per election. An action for a civil fine under this subdivision may be brought by the Secretary of State or any public prosecutor with jurisdiction. (Added by Stats. 20…

Notice regarding the prohibitions on activity related to corruption of the voting process set forth in this chapter shall be provided to the public. The Secretary of State shall promulgate regulations specifying the manner in which such notice shall be provided. (Added by Stats. …

In each county the number of candidates for membership in a county central committee in each Assembly or supervisorial district who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. However, a candidate for membership shall not be declared elected unless he or she ha…

The clerk of the superior court, within five days after the end of the time for filing affidavits, shall present all the affidavits to the presiding judge of the superior court. The presiding judge shall forthwith designate the time and place of hearing, which shall be not less t…

The clerk of the superior court, after an order setting a contest for trial, shall issue a citation to both parties containing a copy of the order. He or she shall deliver it to the sheriff who shall serve it either upon the parties or leave it at the residences named in the affi…

A person shall not directly or through another person give, offer, or promise any office, place, or employment, or promise to procure or endeavor to procure any office, place, or employment to or for any voter, or to or for any other person, in order to induce that voter at any e…

A person shall not directly or through any other person receive, agree, or contract for, before, during or after an election, any money, gift, loan, or other valuable consideration, office, place, or employment for himself or any other person because he or any other person: (a) V…

Neither a person nor a controlled committee shall directly or through any other person or controlled committee pay, lend, or contribute, or offer or promise to pay, lend, or contribute, any money or other valuable consideration to or for any voter or to or for any other person to…

A person shall not directly or through any other person advance or pay, or cause to be paid, any money or other valuable thing to or for the use of any other person, with the intent that it, or any part thereof, shall be used in bribery at any election, or knowingly pay or cause …

A person shall not directly or through any other person advance or pay, or cause to be paid, any money or other valuable thing to or for the use of any other person, with the intent that it, or any part thereof, will be used for boarding, lodging, or maintaining a person at any p…

In each county the number of candidates for membership in a committee in each Assembly or supervisorial district who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. However, a candidate for membership shall not be declared elected unless he or she has received vote…

On the fifth day after the end of the time for filing contestant’s affidavit, the clerk of the superior court shall present the affidavits of the contestant and the defendant and proof of posting of contestant’s affidavit to the presiding judge of the superior court, or anyone ac…

(a) Every person who makes use of or threatens to make use of any force, violence, or tactic of coercion or intimidation, to induce or compel any other person to vote or refrain from voting at any election or to vote or refrain from voting for any particular person or measure at …

(a) A person shall not, with the intent of dissuading another person from voting, within the 100 foot limit specified in subdivision (b), do any of the following: (1) Solicit a vote or speak to a voter on the subject of marking the voter’s ballot. (2) Place a sign relating to vot…

Every employer, whether a corporation or natural person, or any other person who employs, is guilty of a misdemeanor if, in paying his or her employees the salary or wages due them, encloses their pay in pay envelopes upon which or in which there is written or printed the name of…

(a) Every person who knowingly challenges a person’s right to vote without probable cause or on fraudulent or spurious grounds, or who engages in mass, indiscriminate, and groundless challenging of voters solely for the purpose of preventing voters from voting or to delay the pro…

(a) Any person in possession of a firearm or any uniformed peace officer, private guard, or security personnel or any person who is wearing a uniform of a peace officer, guard, or security personnel, who is stationed in the immediate vicinity of, or posted at, a polling place is …

(a) Any person who hires or arranges for any other person in possession of a firearm or any uniformed law enforcement officer, private guard, or security personnel or any person who is wearing a uniform of a law enforcement officer, private guard, or security personnel, to be sta…

As used in this article: (a) “Elections official” means the county elections official, registrar of voters, or city clerk. (b) “Immediate vicinity” means the area within a distance of 100 feet from the room or rooms in which the voters are signing the roster and casting ballots. …

(a) In addition to any other fine or penalty imposed by this article, the court may order any person convicted of violating this article to pay a restitution fine, the amount of which shall be determined by the court and be commensurate with the seriousness of the offense. (b) Th…

The Voter Intimidation Restitution Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in the fund shall be allocated to the Secretary of State to be used in voter education campaigns addressing the specific crime committed by anyone co…

In each county the number of candidates for membership in a county central committee in each Assembly or supervisor district who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. However, a candidate for membership shall not be declared elected unless he or she has r…

Every person is guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, who: (a) Not being entitled to vote at an election, fraudulently votes or fr…

(a) A person who votes or attempts to vote in an election held in this state and in an election held in another state on the same date shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) This section does not prohibit a voter from voting in an election held in this state and in an election hel…

Every person is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years who: (a) Procures, assists, counsels, or advises another to give or offer his vote at any election, knowing that the person is not qualifie…

Every member of a precinct board is guilty of a misdemeanor who, prior to putting the ballot of a voter in the ballot box, commits any of the following: (a) Attempts to find out any name on the ballot. (b) Opens or suffers to be opened or examined the folded ballot of any voter w…

(a) A member of the public is guilty of a misdemeanor if, while observing any of the following, he or she willfully engages in any conduct set forth in subdivision (b): (1) The processing of vote by mail ballots conducted pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15100) of D…

Every member of a precinct board is guilty of a misdemeanor who, without the consent of a voter, discloses the name of any candidate the board member has discovered in his capacity as a member of the board to have been voted for by the voter. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec…

(a) Any person is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three, or four years who, before or during an election: (1) Tampers with, interferes with, or attempts to interfere with, the correct operation …

(a) The Secretary of State, Attorney General, and any local elections official in the county in which the act occurs, may bring a civil action against an individual, business, or other legal entity that commits any of the following acts before, during, or after an election: (1) T…

Any person who aids or abets in the commission of any of the offenses described in Section 18564 is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of six months or in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Every person is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three, or four years who: (a) Forges or counterfeits returns of an election purported to have been held at a precinct where no election was in fact held. (b) Willfull…

Every person who willfully adds to or subtracts from the votes actually cast at an election, in any official or unofficial returns, or who alters the returns, is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three…