Source: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/recalls/procedure-recalling-state-and-local-officials/
Timestamp: 2020-01-26 05:55:03
Document Index: 728402482

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 11000', '§ 11001', '§ 11001', '§ 307', '§ 11003', '§ 11007', '§ 322', '§ 11006', '§ 11020', '§ 11021', '§ 6000', '§ 11022', '§ 11042', '§ 11023', '§ 11023', '§ 11023', '§ 11041', '§ 11041', '§ 11043', '§ 11041', '§ 100', '§ 100', '§ 104', '§ 11040', '§ 11221', '§ 102', '§ 322', '§ 11047', '§ 103', '§ 11108', '§ 11102', '§ 11104', '§ 9031', '§ 11108', '§ 11108', '§ 11108', '§ 11108', '§ 11108', '§ 11108', '§ 6253', '§ 11301', '§ 11110', '§ 11221', '§ 11221', '§ 11220', '§ 11222', '§ 11224', '§ 11225', '§ 11222', '§ 11240', '§ 11241', '§ 11242', '§ 11381', '§ 11328', '§ 11329', '§ 11320', '§ 11327', '§ 11381', '§ 11383', '§ 11386', '§ 81000']

Procedure for Recalling State and Local Officials | California Secretary of State
This Guide is designed to reflect all current laws, regulations, and rules that pertain to recall, but it does not have the force and effect of law, regulation, or rule. Therefore, in the unlikely event there is a conflict between the Guide and a law, regulation, or rule, the law, regulation, or rule shall take precedence. Before beginning any recall effort, the proponents should obtain the most up-to-date information available.
(Cal.Const., Art. II, Secs. 13-19; Elections Code § 11000 et seq.)
Any state officer may be recalled. These include the elected offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, Members of the State Board of Equalization, State Legislators, and Justices of Courts of Appeal and the State Supreme Court. A State officer appointed in lieu of election or to fill a vacancy in one of these offices may also be recalled. (Elections Code §§ 11001, 11006)
The State Constitution requires that the Legislature must provide for the recall of local officers. This provision, however, does not affect counties and cities whose charters provide for recall. (Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 19)
A "local officer" is defined as an elective officer of a city, county, school district, community college district, or special district, or a judge of a trial court.
(Elections Code §§ 11001, 11004)
The secretary of the governing board in case of the recall of elective officers of a landowner voting district or any district in which, at a regular election, candidates’ nomination papers are filed with the secretary of the governing board.
(Elections Code §§ 307, 311, 11002)
"Governing Board" includes a city council, the board of supervisors of a county, the board of trustees of a school district or community college district, or the legislative body of a special district. In the case of the recall of a trial court judge "governing board" means the board of supervisors.
(Elections Code § 11003)
These limitations do not apply to an officer appointed in lieu of an election pursuant to Elections Code section 10229(a)(2).
(Elections Code § 11007)
The “proponents” of the recall are those voters who initiate the recall proceedings and have control of circulating and obtaining signatures to the recall petition. All of the required proponents of a recall must be registered voters who, based on their residence, are qualified to vote for the office of the officer they seek to recall.
(Elections Code §§ 322, 11005)
To begin recall proceedings against a state officer, the recall proponents must serve, file, and publish or post a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition.
(Elections Code § 11006)
The text of Elections Code section 11023, which describes how the officer sought to be recalled may file an answer.
[See Exhibit A] (Elections Code §§ 11020, 11041(a)(2))
A copy of the notice of intention must be served by personal delivery or by certified mail on the officer sought to be recalled. In addition, the original of the notice of intention, along with an affidavit of the time and manner of service, must be filed with the Secretary of State within seven days of being served. A separate notice of intention must be filed for each officer sought to be recalled.
[See Exhibits B and C] (Elections Code § 11021)
A copy of the notice of intention (including addresses and signatures) must be published at the proponents' expense at least once in a newspaper of general circulation. The publication need not include the text of Elections Code section 11023. If there is no newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction of the officer whose recall is being sought, the proponents may satisfy the publication requirement by posting the notice of intention in at least three public places within the jurisdiction.
(Government Code § 6000, et seq.; Elections Code § 11022)
The proponents must file proof of publication at the same time that they file two blank copies of the proposed recall petition with the Secretary of State.1 Proof of publication is obtained from the newspaper publisher after the notice of intention appears in print.
(Elections Code § 11042)
Within seven days after the filing of the notice of intention, the officer sought to be recalled may file with the Secretary of State an answer of not more than two hundred words.
(Elections Code § 11023(a))
The answer must be signed and accompanied by the printed name and business or residence address of the officer sought to be recalled.
(Elections Code § 11023(c))
If an answer is filed, the officer must, within seven days after the filing of the notice of intention, serve a copy of the answer, by personal delivery or by certified mail, on one of the proponents named in the notice.
(Elections Code § 11023(b))
The next step in the recall process for state officials requires the proponents to prepare the recall petition for circulation. The Secretary of State is required to provide a format for the petition, which is included as Exhibit D to this publication; may also be obtained from any county elections official. The recall petition format prepared by the Secretary of State is mandatory and must be used.
(Elections Code §§ 11041, 11043.5)
All petition sections must be printed in uniform size and darkness with uniform spacing.
[See Exhibit D] (Elections Code § 11041)
The recall petition must include a margin at least one inch wide across the top of each page and a margin at least one-half inch wide along the bottom of each page.
(Elections Code § 11043)
The answer, if any, of the officer sought to be recalled. If the officer has not answered, the petition must so state.
(Elections Code § 11041)
The name of the incorporated city or unincorporated community.
(Elections Code §§ 100, 11043)
Signature spaces must be consecutively numbered commencing with the number one for each petition section.
(Elections Code § 100)
A space at least one inch wide must be left blank along the right margin of the page, after each name and address, for the use of the elections official in verifying the petition.
The circulator must personally affix his or her printed name and residence address and the specific dates of circulation of each petition section in the circulator's affidavit. Preprinted dates, or generalized dates other than the particular range of dates on which the petition section was circulated, are not authorized.
(Elections Code §§ 104, 11046)
Petitions to recall state officers may consist of any number of separate sections which must be duplicates except as to signatures and matters required to be affixed by signers and circulators. The number of signatures attached to each section is left up to the discretion of the person soliciting the signatures. Each section may consist of any number of separate pages. One page is one side of a sheet of paper on which any signatures appear.
(Elections Code § 11040)
The ten-day correction notification period and ten-day filing period for corrected petitions is repeated until the Secretary of State finds that no alterations are required. No signatures may be obtained on the recall petition until the form of the petition has been approved by the Secretary of State.
For a recall of a statewide officer, a petition must be signed by registered voters equal in number to twelve percent (12%) of the last vote for the office. Signatures must be obtained from at least five different counties and must be equal in number to at least one percent (1%) of the last vote for the office in each of five counties.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 14(b); Elections Code § 11221(c))
The number of signatures needed on the petition to recall State Senators, Members of the Assembly, Members of the Board of Equalization and Judges of Courts of Appeal must equal at least twenty percent (20%) of the last vote for the office.
The recall petition can be circulated by any person 18 years of age or older.
(Elections Code §§ 102, 11045)
Registered voters who are qualified to vote for the office of the officer sought to be recalled can sign a recall petition.
(Elections Code §§ 322, 11045)
If a recall petition is circulated in more than one county, a separate section should be used for each county. Each section of the petition must include the name of the county for which it is circulated, and only registered voters of that county may sign that section.
(Elections Code § 11047)
Initial signature withdrawal period: Any voter may withdraw his or her signature from the recall petition upon filing a written request with the county elections official prior to the day the petition section on which the signature appears is filed.
(Elections Code §§ 103, 11303)
Supplemental signature withdrawal period: In addition to the initial signature withdrawal period, any voter may withdraw his or her signature from the recall petition upon filing a written request with the county elections official within 30 business days after the Secretary of State notifies counties that a sufficient number of registered voters signed the petition to initiate a recall election.
(Elections Code § 11108(b))
Within 160 days from the time the Secretary of State notifies the proponents that the form and wording of the petition is correct, proponents must file a petition with the requisite number of valid signatures.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 14(a))
Each section of a recall petition must be filed with the elections official of the county for which it was circulated. Each petition section shall be filed by the proponents or by any person or persons authorized in writing by a proponent. A copy of any written authorization must accompany each submission to the elections official.
(Elections Code §§ 11102, 11103)
Thirty days after a recall has been initiated and every thirty days thereafter, or more frequently at the discretion of the elections official, the elections official determines the number of qualified voters who have signed the recall petition. Upon the completion of the examination, the county elections official certifies and submits the results and an unsigned copy of the petition to the Secretary of State.
(Elections Code § 11104)
Once the signatures reported by county elections officials equals at least 10 percent of the total signatures required, the county elections official has thirty business days to verify all signatures submitted during that reporting period, and must certify the results and submit a blank copy of the petition to the Secretary of State.
(Elections Code §§ 9031(b), 11107)
No later than ten business days after the supplemental withdrawal period, county elections officials must report to the Secretary of State the total number of signatures that have been withdrawn.
(Elections Code § 11108(c))
The Secretary of State maintains a continuous count of the signatures submitted by each county. When the Secretary of State receives from one or more county elections officials a petition certified to have been signed by a sufficient number of registered voters, the Secretary of State must, within ten days, transmit to each county elections official.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 14(c); Elections Code § 11108(a))
Within two business days after county elections officials have reported the total number of signatures withdrawn pursuant to Elections Code § 11108(b), the Secretary of State will make an additional determination as to whether the petitions have been signed by the sufficient number of registered voters to initiate a recall election.
If the Secretary of State determines that the petition has the requisite number of valid signatures to initiate a recall election, the Secretary of State must notify the Department of Finance of the results. If the petition does not have the requisite number of valid signatures, the Secretary of State must notify the county elections officials that they must continue to verify signatures; however, this is dependent on a number of factual scenarios such as, if there are additional signatures to verify and whether the circulation period has ended.
Upon the expiration of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s 30-day review and comment period (see next section below), the Secretary of State shall certify to the Governor that the proponents have submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot.
(Elections Code § 11108(e), 11109)
Duties of the Department of Finance and Joint Legislative Budget Committee
Upon notification by the Secretary of State that the petition has the requisite number of valid signatures to initiate a recall, the Department of Finance shall, within 30 business days, in consultation with the affected county elections officials and the Secretary of State, estimate the costs of the recall election and submit this estimate to the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
(Elections Code § 11108(d))
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee has 30 days to review and comment on the estimate provided to them by the Department of Finance.
(Elections Code § 11108(e))
If a petition is found to be insufficient by the Secretary of State, the proponents whose names are listed on the notice of intention must be allowed to examine the petition signatures in order to ascertain which signatures were disqualified and the reasons therefor. This right of examination is not otherwise available to proponents or to the public in general. If the proponents examine the petition signatures, the examination must begin not later than 21 days after certification of insufficiency.
(Government Code § 6253.5, Elections Code § 11301)
(Elections Code § 11110)
An election to determine whether to recall an officer and, if appropriate, to elect a successor, shall be called by the Governor and held not less than 60 days nor more than 80 days from the date of certification of sufficient signatures.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 15(a))
The recall election may be conducted within 180 days from the date of certification of sufficient signatures in order that the election may be consolidated with the next regularly scheduled election occurring wholly or partially within the same jurisdiction in which the recall election is held, if the number of voters eligible to vote at that next regularly scheduled election equal to at least fifty percent (50%) of all the voters eligible to vote at the recall election.
Officers charged by law with duties concerning elections are required to make all arrangements for such election. The election must be conducted, returns canvassed, and the result declared, in all respects as are other state elections.
Proponents begin the recall of an elective officer, including any officer appointed in lieu of election or to fill a vacancy, by the service, filing and publication or posting of a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition.
A copy of the notice of intention must be served by personal delivery or by certified mail on the officer sought to be recalled. In addition, the original of the notice of intention, along with an affidavit of the time and manner of service, must be filed with the local elections official within seven days of being served. A separate notice of intention must be filed for each officer sought to be recalled.
The proponents must file proof of publication at the same time that they file two blank copies of the proposed recall petition with the local elections official.4 Proof of publication is obtained from the newspaper publisher after the notice of intention appears in print.
The answer must be signed and accompanied by the printed name, and business or residence address of the officer sought to be recalled.
The next step in the recall process for local officials requires the proponents to prepare the recall petition for circulation. The Secretary of State is required to provide a format for the petition, which is incuded as Exhibit D to this publication, or may be obtained from any county elections official. The recall petition format prepared by the Secretary of State is mandatory and must be used.
The ten-day correction notification period and ten-day filing period for corrected petitions is repeated until the elections official finds that no alterations are required. No signatures may be obtained on the recall petition until the form of the petition has been approved by the elections official.
If a judge of a superior court is sought to be recalled, the number of valid signatures must be equal in number to at least the twenty percent (20%) of the last vote for the office. If the office has not appeared on the ballot since its creation or did not appear at its last regularly scheduled date, the number of signatures must be equal in number to at least twenty percent (20%) of the votes cast within the jurisdiction for the "countywide office" which had the least number of votes in the most recent general election in the county in which the judge holds his or her office.
(Cal.Const., Art. II, Sec. 14(b); Elections Code § 11221(c))
If an officer of a landowner voting district is sought to be recalled, signatures of voters owning at least ten percent (10%) of the assessed value of land within the electoral jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled is required.
(Elections Code § 11221(d))
Any voter may withdraw his or her signature from the recall petition upon filing a written request with the county elections official prior to the day the petition section on which the signature appears is filed.
160 days if the electoral jurisdiction has 50,000 registered voters or more7.
(Elections Code § 11220)
Each petition section shall be filed by the proponents or by any person or persons authorized in writing by a proponent. All sections of the petition circulated in a single county must be filed at one time. A copy of the written authorization must be included with the filing. Each section of the petition must be filed with the elections official in the jurisdiction for which it was circulated. If a petition is circulated in more than one county, it must be filed in the county for which it was circulated.
(Elections Code § 11222)
When proponents bring in the petition for filing, the elections official must count the number of signatures on it. If, from this examination the elections official determines that the number of signatures, on its face, equals or is in excess of the minimum number of signatures required, the elections official shall accept the petition for filing. The petition shall be deemed as filed on that date. Any petition not so filed must be returned to the proponents and is void for all purposes.
If the random sampling technique is not used, the elections official has 30 business days from the date of filing of the petition, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, to determine whether the petition is signed by the required number of voters, certify the results of the examination, and notify the proponents. If the petition is found to have sufficient signatures, the elections official must certify the results to the governing board at its next regular meeting. If the petition is found to have insufficient signatures, the elections official must certify this result.
(Elections Code § 11224)
If the random sampling technique is used, the elections official must complete the examination of the sample of signatures within 30 business days of the filing of the petition. If, for example, eighty percent (80%) of the sample signatures are found to be valid, then eighty percent (80%) of the entire number of signatures are deemed to be valid.
If the total number of valid signatures is less than ninety percent (90%) of the number of signatures required to qualify the petition, the elections official shall certify the petition to be insufficient. If the petition is found insufficient, no action shall be taken on the petition. However, the failure to secure sufficient signatures shall not preclude the later filing of an entirely new petition to the same effect.
(Elections Code § 11225)
Upon completing the examination of the petition, the elections official shall attach to the petition a certificate showing the result of this examination and shall notify the proponents of either the sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition.
(Elections Code §§ 11222, 11224, 11225, 11226, 11227)
If a petition is found to be insufficient by the elections official, the proponents whose names are listed on the notice of intention must be allowed to examine the petition signatures in order to ascertain which signatures were disqualified and the reasons therefor. This right of examination is not otherwise available to proponents or to the public in general. If the proponents examine the petition signatures, the examination must begin not later than 21 days after certification of insufficiency.
Within 14 days of receiving the certificate of sufficiency, the governing body must issue an order stating that an election will be held to determine whether or not the officer named in the petition shall be recalled.
(Elections Code § 11240)
If the governing body fails to issue the order within 14 days, the county elections official, within 5 days, shall set the date for holding the election. If the recall is to be voted on by voters in more than one county, the elections official of the county with the largest number of registered voters who will be voting in the election shall set the date for holding the election in consultation with the elections officials of the other counties.
(Elections Code § 11241)
The election shall be held not less than 88 nor more than 125 days after the issuance of the order, and if a regular or special election is to be held throughout the electoral jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled within such time period, the recall election shall be held on the same day and consolidated with the regular or special election.
(Elections Code § 11242)
The officer sought to be recalled may not be a candidate to succeed himself/herself at the recall election.
(Cal. Const., Art. ll, Sec. 15(c))
Nomination papers and the declaration of candidacy for state offices must be filed no less than 59 days prior to the date of the election and not before the day the order of the election is issued.
(Elections Code § 11381)
The Secretary of State will certify the names of the candidates by the 55th day prior to the election.
Nomination papers and the declaration of candidacy must be filed not less than 75 days prior to the date of the election and not before the day the order of the election is issued.
If the elections official is required to certify to the governing board, he/she shall certify the names of the candidates by the 71st day prior to the election.
The recall election shall be conducted, canvassed, and the results declared in substantially the manner provided by law for a regular election for the office.
(Elections Code § 11328)
If there are several officers to be recalled, one election is sufficient.
(Elections Code § 11329)
At every recall election (other than a landowner voting district election) the following question shall be asked: "Shall [name of officer sought to be recalled] be recalled (removed) from the office of [title of office]?” To the right of this question shall be the words “Yes” and “No” on separate lines with an enclosed voting space to the right of each.
(Elections Code § 11320)
An officer whose recall is being sought may file a statement with the elections official in accordance with the provisions of Elections Code section 13307 to be sent to each voter together with the sample ballot.
(Elections Code § 11327)
If a majority of the votes on a recall proposal are “Yes,” the officer is removed and, if there is a candidate, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes is the successor to the unexpired term of the recalled officer.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 15; Elections Code §§ 11381(c), 11384, 11385)
If one-half or more of the votes at a recall election are “No,” the officer sought to be recalled shall continue in office.
(Elections Code § 11383)
If the candidate who received the highest number of votes fails to qualify for the office within 10 days after receiving his or her certificate of election, the office to which he or she was elected shall be vacant, and shall be filled according to law.
(Elections Code § 11386)
A justice of an Appellate Court will be appointed by the Governor to replace a recalled justice.
(Cal. Const., Art.ll, Sec. 15(c))
If a recall of the Governor or the Secretary of State is initiated, the recall duties of that office shall be performed by the Lieutenant Governor or Controller, respectively.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 17)
A state officer who is not recalled must be reimbursed by the State for the officer's recall election expenses legally and personally incurred.
(Cal. Const., Art. II, Sec. 18)
Proponents of recalls, officers subject to recall, and candidates may have disclosure requirements under the Political Reform Act. (Government Code § 81000, et seq.) Questions should be directed to the Fair Political Practices Commission, 428 "J" Street, Suite 450, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 322-5660.
Exhibit A. Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition (PDF)
Exhibit B. Proof of Personal Service (PDF)
Exhibit C. Proof of Service by Certified Mail (PDF)
Exhibit D. Petition for Recall Format (PDF)