Bill Text: CA AB1513 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Election procedures: certified mail and superior courts.

Sponsorship: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2025-10-03 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 304, Statutes of 2025. [AB1513 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB1513-Chaptered.html

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Assembly Bill No. 1513

CHAPTER 304

An act to amend Sections 12, 5200, 11000, 11001, 11002, 11003, 11004, 11221, 13113, 15621, 16442, 16462, and 16464 of the Elections Code, relating to elections.

[ Approved by Governor  October 03, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State  October 03, 2025. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1513, Committee on Elections. Election procedures: certified mail and superior courts.

(1) Existing law requires specified notices, affidavits, and communications regarding elections to be delivered by registered mail.

This bill would instead require delivery by certified mail or, for certain communications between local officials and the Secretary of State, by electronic delivery. By imposing new duties on local officials with respect to elections, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

(2) Existing law provides procedures for the recall of enumerated elective officers, including, among others, trial court judges.

This bill would replace references to trial courts in these provisions with references to superior courts.

(3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 15621 of the Elections Code proposed by Assembly Bill 930 to be operative only if this bill and Assembly Bill 930 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 12 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

12.

 Whenever any candidate files a declaration of candidacy, nomination paper, or any other paper evidencing an intention to be a candidate for any public office at any election in this state with either the Secretary of State or a county elections official, the candidate shall by the filing irrevocably appoint the Secretary of State or the county elections official with whom the filing is made, and their successors in office, the candidate’s attorneys upon whom all process in any action or proceeding against the candidate concerning the candidacy or the election laws may be served with the same effect as if the candidate had been lawfully served with process. The appointment shall continue until the day of the election.

If in any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with any matters concerning the candidate’s candidacy or the election laws it is shown by affidavit to the satisfaction of a court or judge that personal service of process against the candidate cannot be made with the exercise of due diligence, the court or judge may make an order that the service be made upon the candidate by delivering by hand to the Secretary of State or the county elections official appointed as the candidate’s attorney for service of process, or to any person employed in the office of the Secretary of State or the county elections official in the capacity of assistant or deputy, one copy of the process for the defendant to be served, together with a copy of the order authorizing the service. Service in this manner constitutes personal service upon the candidate. The Secretary of State and the county elections officials of all counties shall keep a record of all process served upon them under this section, and shall record therein the time of service and their action with reference thereto.

Upon the receipt of service of process the Secretary of State or the county elections official shall immediately give notice of the service of the process to the candidate by forwarding the copy of the process to the candidate at the address shown on the candidate’s declaration, nomination paper, affidavit, or other evidence of intention to be a candidate filed with that officer, by certified mail with request for return receipt.

SEC. 2.

 Section 5200 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

5200.

 (a) Not less than 123 days before a primary or presidential general election, the Secretary of State shall, with the advice and consent of the Attorney General, determine which parties are disqualified to participate in any primary election under Section 5102 or a presidential general election under Section 5154. If it is proposed to disqualify a party that was qualified to participate in the next preceding direct primary, notice of intention to disqualify shall be served by certified mail on the chairperson of the state central committee of the party, as shown by the records of the Secretary of State. In any event, notice of intention to disqualify shall be given in each county of the state by publication pursuant to Section 6061 of the Government Code. If there is no newspaper of general circulation printed and published in any county, publication shall be made in a newspaper of general circulation printed and published in an adjoining county.

(b) If the party desires a hearing on the notice of intention to disqualify, it shall, within 10 days after service by mail or within 10 days after the last date upon which the notice was published in any county, whichever is later, file an affidavit in the Supreme Court pursuant to Section 13314 setting forth facts showing that the political party is not disqualified to participate in any primary election under Section 5102 or a presidential general election under Section 5154. If the party does not file the affidavit within the time specified, the notice of intention to disqualify shall constitute final disqualification. Before the affidavit is filed, a copy shall be personally served on the Secretary of State. When filed, the matter shall be set for return in not more than 10 days and shall have priority over any other pending cases.

(c) In connection with proceedings in the Supreme Court under this section, the Legislature hereby declares its intent to create a speedy and expeditious method for judicial determination of the vital questions involved, and urges the Supreme Court to accept jurisdiction in any such proceeding. The Legislature further urges that the court instruct any referee before whom the taking of evidence is ordered to report back to the court in sufficient time so that the court’s final order may be made effective on or before the 80th day before the primary or presidential general election.

SEC. 3.

 Section 11000 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11000.

 This division governs the recall of elective officers of the State of California and of all counties, cities, school districts, county boards of education, community college districts, special districts, and judges of courts of appeal and superior courts. It does not supersede the provisions of a city charter or county charter, or of ordinances adopted pursuant to a city charter or county charter, relating to recall.

SEC. 4.

 Section 11001 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11001.

 For the purposes of this division, judges of courts of appeal shall be considered state officers, and judges of superior courts shall be considered county officers.

SEC. 5.

 Section 11002 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11002.

 For the purposes of this division, “elections official” means one of the following:

(a) A county elections official in the case of the recall of elective officers of a county, school district, county board of education, community college district, or resident voting district, and of judges of superior courts.

(b) A city elections official, including, but not necessarily limited to, a city clerk, in the case of the recall of elective officers of a city.

(c) The secretary of the governing board in the case of the recall of elective officers of a landowner voting district or any district in which, at a regular election, candidate’s nomination papers are filed with the secretary of the governing board.

SEC. 6.

 Section 11003 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11003.

 For the purposes of this division, “governing board” means 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, as the context requires. In the case of the recall of a superior court judge, “governing board” means the board of supervisors.

SEC. 7.

 Section 11004 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11004.

 For the purposes of this division, a “local officer” is an elective officer of a city, county, school district, community college district, or special district, or a judge of a superior court.

SEC. 8.

 Section 11221 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

11221.

 The number of qualified signatures required in order to qualify a recall for the ballot shall be as follows:

(a) In the case of an officer of a city, county, school district, community college district, county board of education, or resident voting district, but not including a judge of a superior court, the number of signatures shall be equal in number to not less than the following percent of the registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction:

(1) Thirty percent if the registration is less than 1,000.

(2) Twenty-five percent if the registration is less than 10,000 but at least 1,000.

(3) Twenty percent if the registration is less than 50,000 but at least 10,000.

(4) Fifteen percent if the registration is less than 100,000 but at least 50,000.

(5) Ten percent if the registration is 100,000 or above.

(b) For purposes of this section, the number of registered voters shall be calculated as of the time of the last report of registration by the county elections official to the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 2187, and prior to the finding by the elections official or Secretary of State that no alterations are required in the form of the recall petition pursuant to Section 11042.

(c) (1) In the case of a state officer, including a judge of a court of appeal, and in the case of a judge of a superior court, the number of signatures shall be as provided for in subdivision (b) of Section 14 of Article II of the California Constitution. In the case of a judge of a superior court, which office has never appeared on the ballot since its creation, or did not appear on the ballot at its last election pursuant to Section 8203, the number of signatures shall be as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 14 of Article II of the California Constitution, except that the percentage shall be based on the number of votes cast within the judicial 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 office.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “countywide office” means an elective office wholly within the county which is voted on throughout the county.

(d) In the case of a landowner voting district, signatures of voters owning at least 10 percent of the assessed value of land within the electoral jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled.

SEC. 9.

 Section 13113 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

13113.

 (a) In the case of an election of candidates in a special district, school district, charter city (whose charter does not provide to the contrary), or other local government body, occurring on other than one of the election dates specified in subdivision (b) of Section 13112, the official responsible for conducting the election shall, at the same time that the election is called, notify the Secretary of State by electronic delivery of the date of the election, the date of the close of filing, and the last possible date for filing in the event there is an extension of filing due to an incumbent failing to file, and the Secretary of State shall confirm receipt of that information in writing by electronic delivery. The Secretary of State shall conduct a randomized alphabet drawing pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 13112 on the first weekday following the last possible day of filing in the event there is an extension for the election.

(b) Except as provided for runoff elections in subdivision (d), if two or more drawings for local government elections would occur on the same date, the Secretary of State may use a single randomized alphabet drawing for all of these elections. The Secretary of State shall communicate the results of the drawing by electronic delivery to each respective official responsible for conducting the election who shall use it to determine the order on the ballot of all candidates’ names. Each respective official shall confirm receipt of the drawing results in writing by electronic delivery to the Secretary of State.

(c) All drawings held pursuant to this section shall be open to the public.

(d) If a charter city conducts a runoff election, it shall use the results of a randomized alphabet drawing separate from the results of the randomized alphabet drawing used for the initial election for that runoff election. The city shall, within three days following the initial election, notify the Secretary of State by electronic delivery of the date of the election and request that the Secretary of State conduct a randomized alphabet drawing for the runoff election. The Secretary of State shall confirm receipt of the request in writing by electronic delivery to the city, and shall immediately conduct a randomized alphabet drawing for the runoff election and communicate the results of the drawing to the elections official responsible for conducting the runoff election who shall use the results to determine the order of all the candidates’ names on the ballot. The results of the randomized alphabet drawing shall be clearly labeled “FOR USE IN A RUNOFF ELECTION ONLY.”

SEC. 10.

 Section 15621 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

15621.

 (a) Following completion of the official canvass any voter may, within five days beginning on the 31st day after a statewide election, file with the Secretary of State a written request for a recount of the votes cast for candidates for any statewide office or for or against any measure voted on statewide. The request filed pursuant to this section shall specify in which county or counties the recount is sought and shall specify on behalf of which candidate, slate of electors, or position on a measure (affirmative or negative) it is filed.

(b) The Secretary of State shall forthwith send by electronic delivery one copy of the request to the elections official of each county in which a recount of the votes is sought, and the elections official shall confirm receipt of the copy in writing by electronic delivery to the Secretary of State.

(c) All the other provisions of this article apply to recounts conducted under this section.

SEC. 10.5.

 Section 15621 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

15621.

 (a) Following completion of the official canvass any voter may, within five calendar days beginning on the 31st day after a statewide election, file with the Secretary of State a written request for a recount of the votes cast for candidates for any statewide office or for or against any measure voted on statewide. The request filed pursuant to this section shall specify in which county or counties the recount is sought and shall specify on behalf of which candidate, slate of electors, or position on a measure (affirmative or negative) it is filed.

(b) The Secretary of State shall forthwith send by electronic delivery one copy of the request to the elections official of each county in which a recount of the votes is sought, and the elections official shall confirm receipt of the copy in writing by electronic delivery to the Secretary of State.

(c) All the other provisions of this article apply to recounts conducted under this section.

SEC. 11.

 Section 16442 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

16442.

 After the affidavit is filed with the clerk of the superior court, a copy of the affidavit shall be personally served upon the defendant or sent to the defendant by certified mail in a sealed envelope with postage prepaid, addressed to the defendant at the place of residence named in the defendant’s affidavit of registration. The contestant shall make an affidavit of mailing if the contestant serves the affidavit by mail, and file it on the same day with the county elections official.

SEC. 12.

 Section 16462 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

16462.

 No service other than as provided in this section need be made upon the defendant. The affidavit shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the superior court within five days after the completion of the official canvass. Upon the filing of the affidavit the county elections official shall forthwith post, in a conspicuous place in the official’s office, a copy of the affidavit. Upon the filing of the affidavit and its posting, the superior court of the county shall have jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties to the contest. The contestant on the date of filing the affidavit shall send by certified mail a copy thereof to the defendant in a sealed envelope, with postage prepaid, addressed to the defendant at the place of residence named in the affidavit of registration of the defendant, and shall make and file an affidavit of mailing with the county elections official, which shall become a part of the records of the contest.

SEC. 13.

 Section 16464 of the Elections Code is amended to read:

16464.

 At any time within three days after the filing of the affidavit of the contestant to the effect that the contestant has sent by certified mail a copy of the affidavit to the defendant, the defendant may file with the clerk of the superior court an affidavit in the defendant’s own behalf, setting up the defendant’s desire to have the votes counted in any precincts, designating them, in addition to the precincts designated in the affidavit of the contestant, and setting up the defendant’s grounds therefor. On the trial of the contest all of the precincts named in the affidavits of the contestant and the defendant shall be considered, and a recount had with reference to all of those precincts. The contestant shall have the same right to answer the affidavit of the defendant as is given to the defendant with reference to the affidavit of the contestant except that the contestant’s answer shall be filed not later than the first day of the trial of the contest.

SEC. 14.

 Section 10.5 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 15621 of the Elections Code proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 930. That section of this bill shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2026, (2) each bill amends Section 15621 of the Elections Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 930, in which case Section 10 of this bill shall not become operative.

SEC. 15.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.