Title ELEC, California Elec. Code

Each counting board and its members are subject to the liabilities and penalties to which precinct boards or their members are subject where the votes and returns are counted at the precincts where they were polled. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Every person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years who furnishes any voter wishing to vote, who cannot read, with a ballot, informing or giving that voter to understand th…

(a) It is a misdemeanor for a person who is providing care or direct supervision to an elder in a state-licensed or state-subsidized facility or program to coerce or deceive the elder into voting for or against a candidate or measure contrary to the elder’s intent or in the absen…

Every person who, after being required by the precinct board at an election, refuses to be sworn or, being sworn, refuses to answer any pertinent questions propounded by the board touching the right of another to vote, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920,…

Every person is guilty of a felony, and on conviction shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three or four years, who at any election: (a) Without first having been appointed and qualified, acts as an election offi…

(a) Any person having charge of a completed vote by mail ballot who willfully interferes or causes interference with its return to the local elections official having jurisdiction over the election is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not excee…

Any person who applies for, or who votes or attempts to vote, a vote by mail ballot by fraudulently signing the name of a fictitious person, or of a regularly qualified voter, or of a person who is not qualified to vote, is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment pursuant t…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, any person who seizes or causes or assists in the seizure of ballots, election records, or certified voting technology or any portion thereof, before election results are certified pursuant to Section 15372, is guilty of a felony, punishable by …

In each county the number of candidates for member of central committees to be elected in each central committee election district who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. The names and votes of all nominees for partisan public office qualified for centr…

For the purposes of this article, the following definitions apply: (a) “Firearm” means a device designed to be used as a weapon, from which a projectile is expelled through a barrel by the force of an explosion or other form of combustion. It includes any firearm that is in the n…

(a) A person shall not intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for any of the following: (1) Voting or attempting to vote. (2) Urging or aiding any person to vote or attempt to vote, whether as part of official election adm…

(a) A person aggrieved by a violation of Section 18581 may enforce the provisions of this article in a suit at law or in equity, or both. A prevailing plaintiff in such an action shall recover reasonable attorney’s fees, reasonable expert fees, reasonable litigation expenses, and…

This chapter applies only to partisan primary elections. (Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 819, Sec. 1. (AB 837) Effective January 1, 2018.)

(a) The Secretary of State shall include in the state voter information guide the information specified in subdivision (a) of Section 9083.5, including a statement explaining that a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference may not vote in a political party’…

(a) With each nonpartisan vote by mail ballot that is sent to a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference, the county elections official shall include a notice informing the voter that the voter may request a political party’s ballot at the next ensuing part…

(a) This section applies to a nonpartisan ballot provided to a voter who has declined to disclose a political party preference for use in voting in a presidential primary election. (b) (1) A notice shall be printed on the ballot, in substantially the following form, that advises …

The established mailed ballot election dates are as follows: (a) The first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of each year. (b) The last Tuesday in August of each year. (Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 58, Sec. 1. (AB 3259) Effective January 1, 2019.)

Following each general election, the county elections official shall file copies of all precinct maps with the Secretary of State. If there is no change in the precinct maps from those maps that are currently on file, in lieu of filing copies of those maps with the Secretary of S…

(a) The following provisions shall apply to those elections where candidates for one or more of the following offices are voted upon: President, Vice President, United States Senator, and United States Representative. (b) The elections official shall preserve the following record…

(a) The following provisions shall apply to all state or local elections not provided for in subdivision (a) of Section 17502. An election is not deemed a state or local election if votes for candidates for federal office may be cast on the same ballot as votes for candidates for…

(a) The elections official shall preserve the list of new resident voters voting pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 3400) of Division 3 for 22 months from the date of the election. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date…

The provisions of Part 2 (commencing with Section 43) of Division 1 of the Civil Code, relating to libel and slander, are fully applicable to any campaign advertising or communication. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

(a) A candidate or state measure proponent is liable for any slander or libel committed by a committee that is controlled by that candidate or state measure proponent as defined by Section 82016 of the Government Code if the candidate or state measure proponent willfully and know…

(a) In any action for libel or slander brought by a candidate, the willingness or unwillingness of the defendant to retract or correct a communication made in the course of a campaign, and his or her action in doing so, shall be admissible in evidence in the exemplary damages pha…

Following a county’s decision to elect its board using district-based elections, or following each federal decennial census for a county whose board is already elected using district-based elections, the board shall, by ordinance or resolution, adopt boundaries for all of the sup…

This chapter applies to a county that elects members of the county’s board of supervisors by districts or from districts. (Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 343, Sec. 16. (AB 764) Effective January 1, 2024.)

(a) After redistricting or districting, a board shall not adopt new supervisorial district boundaries until after the next federal decennial census, except under the following circumstances: (1) A court orders the board to redistrict. (2) The board is settling a legal claim that …

(a) The term of office of any supervisor who has been elected and whose term of office has not expired shall not be affected by any change in the boundaries of the district from which the supervisor was elected and that supervisor shall continue to represent the constituents resi…

It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this chapter, to facilitate compliance with the requirements set forth in the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 20501 et seq.) relating to voter registration services. (Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 732,…

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Voter preference form” means the form described in Section 20506(a)(6)(B) of Title 52 of the United States Code. (b) “Voter registration agency” means either of the following: (1) A department, di…

(a) The Secretary of State is the chief state elections official responsible for coordination of the state’s responsibilities under the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 20501 et seq.). (b) The Secretary of State shall adopt such regulations as are n…

(a) A voter registration agency shall comply with the applicable duties and responsibilities of a voter registration agency set forth in the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 20501 et seq.). (b) A voter registration agency, with each application for …

(a) The Secretary of State shall do all of the following: (1) Coordinate with each county elections official and voter registration agency to implement this chapter. (2) Prepare written training materials that describe the responsibilities of a county elections official and voter…

(a) A county elections official shall be responsible for coordinating with the Secretary of State and each applicable voter registration agency within the county to administer the voter registration services required pursuant to this chapter and the federal National Voter Registr…

(a) A voter registration agency shall do all of the following: (1) Notify the county elections official of each applicable county of the location of each of the voter registration agency’s offices or sites within the county. (2) Designate an agency employee to be responsible for …

Within 10 days after the beginning of each calendar month, a county elections official shall report to the Secretary of State, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, the number of voter registration cards received from each voter registration agency and from each office …

(a) A voter registration agency that allows a person to apply online for service or assistance, or to submit a recertification, renewal, or change of address form relating to the service or assistance online, shall implement a process and infrastructure that allows an applicant t…

(a) At least 88 days prior to the election, each candidate shall leave with the officer with whom the candidate’s nomination papers are required to be left, a declaration of candidacy which states all of the following: (1) The candidate’s residence, with street and number, if any…

(a) Whenever a school measure qualifies for a place on the ballot, the county elections official shall transmit a copy of the measure to the county counsel or to the district attorney in a county that has no county counsel. (b) The county counsel or district attorney shall prepar…

(a) The governing board of the school district or a member or members of the governing board, or an individual voter who is eligible to vote on the measure, or bona fide association of citizens, or a combination of such voters and associations may file a written argument for or a…

A ballot argument shall not be accepted under this article unless accompanied by the printed name and signature or printed names and signatures of the person or persons submitting it or, if submitted on behalf of an organization, the name of the organization and the printed name …

Based on the time reasonably necessary to prepare and print the arguments, and to permit the 10-calendar-day public examination as provided in Section 9509, the person conducting the election shall fix and determine a reasonable date prior to the election after which no arguments…

(a) If more than one argument for or more than one argument against any school measure is submitted to the person conducting the election within the time prescribed, the person conducting the election shall select one of the arguments in favor and one of the arguments against the…

(a) When an argument in favor and an argument against a measure have been selected for publication in the voter information pamphlet the elections official responsible for conducting the election shall send copies of the argument in favor of the measure to the authors of the argu…

Whenever a proposition relating to the approval of district bonds and a proposition, which is conditioned by the State Allocation Board on the approval of the bond issue, relating to the acceptance and expenditure of state school building aid funds, are to be submitted to the vot…

(a) The elections official shall make a copy of the materials referred to in Sections 9500, 9501, and 9504 available for public examination in his or her office for a period of 10 calendar days immediately following the filing deadline for submission of those documents. Any perso…