SB715 - Elections.

Amended IN Assembly August 20, 2026 Amended IN Assembly August 13, 2026 Amended IN Assembly June 11, 2026 Amended IN Senate May 01, 2025 Amended IN Senate March 25, 2025 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 715 Introduced by Senator Allen February 21, 2025 An act to amend Sections 6041, 6340, 6520, 6722, 6852, 8020, 8020.5, 8022, 8024, 8027, 8028, 8121, 8147.5, 8903, 10220, 10224, 10225, 10229, 10403, 10407, 10510, 10516, 10603, 10604, 10704, 10703, 12101, 12262, 13112, 13107.3, and 13307 of the Elections Code, relating to elections. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 715, as amended, Allen. Elections. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to transmit a certified list of candidates for partisan and voter-nominated offices eligible to be voted on within each county to the county elections official at least 68 days before a primary or general election. Existing law also requires the Secretary of State to notify the candidates for partisan and voter-nominated offices of the names, addresses, offices, occupations, and party preferences of all other candidates for the same office at least 73 days before the election. Existing law imposes various deadlines pertaining to candidates and elections. Existing law requires a candidate who submits a ballot designation to file a ballot designation worksheet, as specified. This bill would move the deadline to notify candidates of the other candidates for the same office to at least 78 days before the election. The bill would move other specified deadlines 5 days earlier, including the deadline for the Secretary of State to publicly announce a list of candidates and the availability of specified forms and documents. The bill would require a candidate to certify, under penalty of perjury, the truth and accuracy of the content of the ballot designation worksheet. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 13307 of the Elections Code proposed by SB 1360 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1360 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 6041 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6041. The Secretary of State shall place the name of a candidate upon the presidential primary ballot when the Secretary of State has determined that the candidate is generally advocated for or recognized throughout the United States or California as actively seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the United States. The Secretary of State shall include as criteria for selecting candidates the fact of qualifying for funding under the Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1974, as amended. On or before the 92nd 95th day preceding a presidential primary election, the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the selected candidates that the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. SEC. 2. Section 6340 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6340. (a) The Secretary of State shall place the name of a candidate upon the Republican presidential primary ballot when the Secretary of State has determined that the candidate is generally advocated for or recognized throughout the United States or California as a candidate for the nomination of the Republican Party for President of the United States. (b) On or before the 92nd 95th day preceding a presidential primary election the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the candidates the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. Following this announcement the Secretary of State may add candidates to the Secretary of State’s selection, but the Secretary of State shall not delete any candidate whose name appears on the announced list. SEC. 3. Section 6520 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6520. (a) The Secretary of State shall place the name of a candidate upon the American Independent Party presidential preference ballot when the Secretary of State has determined that the candidate is generally advocated for or recognized in the news media throughout the United States or California as actively seeking the nomination of the American Independent Party for President of the United States. (b) On or before the 92nd 95th day preceding a presidential primary election, the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the candidates the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. Following this announcement the Secretary of State may add candidates to the Secretary of State’s selection, but the Secretary of State may not delete any candidate whose name appears on the announced list. SEC. 4. Section 6722 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6722. On or before the 92nd 95th day preceding a presidential primary election, the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the candidates the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. Following this announcement, the Secretary of State may add to the Secretary of State’s selection, but the Secretary of State may not delete any candidate whose name appears on the announced list. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of the list and any subsequent additions thereto to the Chairpersons of the Peace and Freedom Party State and County Central Committees. SEC. 5. Section 6852 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 6852. On or before the 92nd 95th day preceding a presidential primary election, the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the candidates the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. Following this announcement, the Secretary of State may add candidates to the Secretary of State’s selection, but the Secretary of State may not delete any candidate whose name appears on the announced list. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of the list and any subsequent additions to the list to the Green Party Liaison to the Secretary of State. SEC. 6. Section 8020 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8020. (a) A candidate’s name shall not be printed on the ballot to be used at the direct primary unless the following nomination documents are delivered for filing to the county elections official: (1) Declaration of candidacy pursuant to Section 8040. (2) Nomination papers signed by signers pursuant to Section 8041. (3) Proper qualification documentation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 13.5, if applicable. (b) The forms shall first be available on the 118th 120th day prior to the direct primary election, or on the 163rd 165th day prior to the primary election for a candidate for membership on a county central committee, and shall be delivered to the county for which the nomination documents were circulated not later than 5 p.m. on the 92nd 95th day prior to the primary election. The forms may be delivered to the county elections official by a person other than the candidate. (c) Upon the receipt of an executed nomination document, the county elections official shall give the person delivering the document a receipt, properly dated, indicating that the document was delivered to the county elections official. (d) Notwithstanding Section 8028, upon request of a candidate, the county elections official shall provide the candidate with a declaration of candidacy. The county elections official shall not require a candidate to sign, file, or sign and file, a declaration of candidacy as a condition of receiving nomination papers. SEC. 7. Section 8020.5 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8020.5. (a) A candidate may withdraw nomination documents for any office other than a statewide office that the candidate delivered for filing to the county elections official by delivering a statement of withdrawal to the county elections official. The statement may be delivered to the county elections official by a person other than the candidate. If the statement is not executed by the candidate in the office of the elections official, the candidate shall execute the statement before a notary public appointed by the Secretary of State or other state official. The statement shall be signed by the candidate under penalty of perjury, and shall include all of the following: (1) Identification of the office for which the candidate previously delivered nomination documents for filing to the county elections official. (2) A statement that the candidate irrevocably withdraws those nomination documents. (3) A statement that the candidate understands that by withdrawing the nomination documents, the candidate will not appear on the ballot as a candidate for that office. (4) A statement that the candidate understands that they will not receive a refund of any filing fees that the candidate paid in connection with the candidacy for that office pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 8105 of the Elections Code. (b) A candidate shall have until 5 p.m. on the 92nd 95th day before the primary election to withdraw nomination documents, except that if the extended period for filing nomination documents specified in Section 8022 or Section 8024 applies for a particular office, a candidate shall have until 5 p.m. on the 88th 90th day before the primary election to withdraw nomination documents for that office. (c) A candidate who withdraws nomination documents pursuant to this section may, during the applicable filing period, file nomination documents for any other office at the same primary election for which the person is eligible to be a candidate, except the office for which the person withdrew their nomination documents. This subdivision shall not be construed to extend any deadline for filing nomination documents. (d) If a candidate withdraws their nomination documents and does not subsequently qualify as a candidate for another office at the same primary election, the candidate’s name shall not appear on the ballot for any office at that election. (e) If a candidate delivers a statement of withdrawal to a county elections official pursuant to this section, and the office to which the statement applies is one for which nomination documents are required to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 8100, the county elections official shall do all of the following: (1) Immediately upon receipt, electronically send a copy of the statement to the Secretary of State. (2) If the office to which the statement applies is to be voted on in more than one county, immediately upon receipt electronically send a copy of the statement to the elections official in each other affected county. (3) Within five days of receipt of the statement, forward the original statement to the Secretary of State. (f) For purposes of this section, “statewide office” means the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Insurance Commissioner, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Treasurer, or Member of the United States Senate. SEC. 8. Section 8022 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8022. Notwithstanding Section 8020 or any other provision of the law, if nomination documents for an incumbent state Senator, Member of the Assembly, state constitutional officer, Insurance Commissioner, Member of the United States House of Representatives, or United States Senator are not delivered by 5 p.m. on the 88th day before the direct primary election, or are delivered but then are withdrawn before 5 p.m. on the 92nd 95th day before the direct primary election, any person other than the person who was the incumbent on the 92nd 95th day shall have until 5 p.m. on the 88th 90th day before the election to file nomination documents for the elective office. However, if the incumbent’s failure to file nomination documents is because the incumbent has already served the maximum number of terms permitted by the California Constitution for that office, there shall be no extension of the period for filing the nomination documents. SEC. 9. Section 8024 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8024. Notwithstanding Section 8020 or any other provision of the law, if nomination documents for an incumbent officer of a county are not delivered by 5 p.m. on the 92nd 95th day before the direct primary election, or are delivered but then are withdrawn before 5 p.m. on the 92nd 95th day before the direct primary election, any person other than the person who was the incumbent on the 92nd 95th day shall have until 5 p.m. on the 88th 90th day before the election to file nomination documents for the elective office. This section is not applicable where there is no incumbent eligible to be elected. SEC. 10. Section 8027 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8027. (a) Filing of nomination papers for a nonpartisan office, except for a judicial office, shall be reopened when an incumbent who is a candidate for a nonpartisan statewide, countywide, or citywide office, or for a nonpartisan office that is elected by division, area, or district which the incumbent currently holds at an election at which only one other candidate, excluding any write-in candidates, has qualified to have their name placed on the ballot for that office and either the challenger or the incumbent dies after the 92nd 95th day but before the 68th day before the election. (b) Any person qualified to be a candidate for the office for which either the deceased challenger or the deceased incumbent was a candidate may circulate and deliver nomination papers commencing the day after the death of either the challenger or the incumbent. Candidates shall be nominated in accordance with this part, except that in-lieu-filing-fee petitions shall not be made available and nomination papers shall be returned to the elections official no later than 5 p.m. on the 68th day before the election. SEC. 11. Section 8028 of the Elections Code is amended to read: 8028. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a candidate shall not remove a declaration of candidacy form from the office of the elections official, and the elections official shall require all candidates [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]