Opinion ID: 3038863
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: “Provided By” the Orange County Elections

Text: Department Although I believe that recall petitions relate to the recall process, the recall petitions would only fall under the Act’s bilingual requirements if they were “provided by” the Orange County Elections Department. 42 U.S.C. § 1973aa-1a(c). Because the state’s acquiescence in the content of recall petitions is a condition precedent to its circulation, I believe the state provides recall petitions to the public. Recall petitions in California are subject to extensive regulations that go beyond imposing mere ministerial duties upon election officials. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11000-11047. Under these regulations, the state, or in this case the Orange County Elections Department, has the authority and obligation to authorize and approve the form and content of proposed recall petitions, verify collected signatures, and set election dates. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042, 11043. No signatures may be collected on a recall petition unless and until the Orange County Elections Department notifies the petition’s propo11576 PADILLA v. LEVER nents that the form and wording of the proposed petition comply with the Elections Code. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(d). California’s Elections Code mandates a specific format for recall petitions that must be used by recall proponents. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11041(a) (“[P]roponents shall use the recall petition format provided by the Secretary of State.”). While private persons may print the actual recall petitions, the form must adhere to the statutory requirements, which regulate the content and even the typeface to be used on such petitions. See id. The proponents must file, within ten days of receipt the recall target’s answer, two blank copies of the recall petition with the jurisdiction’s election officials. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(a). Election officials are charged with ensuring that the proposed petition conforms to the requirements of the Election Code in both form and content. See id. If election officials determine that a proposed petition does not comply, they must issue written findings. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(b). In such cases, officials must notify the proponents of the alterations necessary for the petition’s approval. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(c). The Elections Code also dictates the contents of a recall petition, requiring that each page of the petition include: (1) a request that an election be called to recall an officeholder; (2) a copy of the Notice of Intention; (3) a written statement of the grounds for the recall; (4) the names of at least ten recall proponents that appear on the Notice of Intention; (5) any answer filed by the officer sought to be recalled or a statement that the official did not answer; and (6) the name and title of the officer sought to be recalled. See Cal. Elec. Code §§ 11020(a)-(d), 11023(a), 11041(a). California election officials must also approve the content of the recall petition. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(a) (charging election officials with “ascertain[ing] if the proposed form and wording of the petition meets the requirements of this chapter” (emphasis added)). Indeed, recall proponents are statutorily required to change their recall petition as directed by election officials PADILLA v. LEVER 11577 until the officials are satisfied that no further alterations are required. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(c). California law prohibits any private party from circulating a recall petition until the petition receives state approval. See Cal. Elec. Code § 11042(d) (“No signature may be affixed to a recall petition until the elections official or, in the case of the recall of a state officer, the Secretary of State, has notified the proponents that the form and wording of the proposed petition meet the requirements of this chapter.”). Signed petitions must be submitted to the proper election officials for certification. See Cal. Elec. Code §§ 11222, 11224, 11227. If enough signatures have been collected, the recall election is called and scheduled by election officials. See id. Considering this extensive regulation, I can only conclude that recall petitions are not the same as fliers or candidate literature wholly created and controlled by private parties. See Zaldivar, 780 F.2d at 833 (“That the state or a political subdivision has mandated by law that certain preliminary steps be taken by the would-be voter, the candidate for office, or the proponents of an issue does not in any sense absolve the governmental entity of its responsibility under the Voting Rights Act. Such compelled acts are far removed from those voluntarily undertaken by a candidate, such as the printing of campaign literature.”). Rather, they are more akin to ballots or initiative materials that are distributed by voting districts or to the nomination petition at issue in Allen. Here, the recall petitions, in English only, were submitted to the Orange County Elections Department as required by California law. By reviewing and approving the Recall Petition for circulation, the Orange County Elections Department officially sanctioned the content and format of the petition, including its English-only printing.5 Election officials could 5 Defendants argue that the recall petition was not “provided by” the Orange County Elections Department because the recall proponents here 11578 PADILLA v. LEVER have altered the text of the petition or demanded that the recall proponents publish it in Spanish as well as English, but chose not to do this and instead approved the petitions in their English-only form. This state approval, together with the extensive state regulation of the form of the petitions is sufficient state involvement to trigger application of the bilingual requirements and to conclude that the state “provided” the Recall Petition within the meaning of the Voting Rights Act.