Article 2 - Recall Petitions

California Elections Code — §§ 11220-11227

Sections (8)

Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.

(a)A recall petition shall be submitted to the elections official for filing in his or her office during normal office hours as posted within the following number of days after the clerk or, in the case of a recall of a state officer, the Secretary of State, notifies the proponents that the form and wording of the petition meets the requirements of Article 3 (commencing with Section 11040) of Chapter 1:

(1)Forty days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 1,000 registered voters.

(2)Sixty days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 5,000 registered voters but at least 1,000.

(3)Ninety days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 10,000 registered voters but at least 5,000.

(4)One hundred twenty days if the electoral jurisdiction has less than 50,000 registered voters but at least 10,000.

(5)One hundred sixty days if the electoral jurisdiction has 50,000 registered voters or more.

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

§ 11221

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 304, Sec. 8. (AB 1513) Effective January 1, 2026.

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.

§ 11222

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 58, Sec. 12. (AB 3259) Effective January 1, 2019.

(a)The petition shall be filed by the proponents, or by any person or persons authorized, in writing, by a proponent. All sections of the petition shall be filed at the same time.

(b)When the petition is presented for filing, the elections official shall determine the total number of signatures affixed to the petition. If, from this examination, the elections official determines that the number of signatures, prima facie, 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. A section of the petition not so filed is void

for all purposes. If, from the elections official’s examination, the elections official determines that the number of signatures, prima facie, does not equal or exceed the minimum number of signatures required, the official shall not take further action.

§ 11223

Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.

If the petition was circulated in more than one county, the elections official of each county shall affix, with the certificate showing the results of his or her examination, the number of registered voters of the county residing within the electoral jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled.

§ 11224

Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 728, Sec. 81. (AB 1020) Effective January 1, 2016. Operative September 26, 2016, when the Secretary of State issued the certification prescribed by Stats. 2015, Ch. 728, Sec. 88.

(a)Except as provided in Section 11225, within 30 days from the date of filing of the petition, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, the elections official shall examine the petition, and from the records of registration, ascertain whether or not the petition is signed by the requisite number of voters. If the elections official’s examination shows that the number of valid signatures is greater than the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be sufficient. If the number of valid signatures is less than the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be insufficient.

(b)In determining

the number of valid signatures, the elections official may check the signatures against facsimiles of voters’ signatures, provided that the method of preparing and displaying the facsimiles complies with law.

(c)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.

(d)If the petition is found sufficient, the elections official shall certify the results of the examination

to the governing board at its next regular meeting.

§ 11225

Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 870, Sec. 6. (SB 386) Effective January 1, 2024.

(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), within 60 days from the date of filing of the petition, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, if, from the examination of petitions pursuant to Section 11222, more than 500 signatures have been signed on the petition, the elections official may use a random sampling technique for verification of signatures. The random sample of signatures to be verified shall be drawn in a manner so that every signature filed with the elections official shall have an equal opportunity to be included in the sample. The random sampling

shall include an examination of at least 500 or 5 percent of the signatures, whichever is greater.

(b)Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the elections official shall complete the verification of signatures within 30 days from the date of filing of the petition, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, if the elections official determines that the time reasonably needed to complete the 60-day verification process described in subdivision (a) and any other procedures required for qualifying the measure for the ballot could cause the recall election to be ineligible for consolidation with the next regularly scheduled election, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 11242.

(c)If the statistical sampling shows that the number of valid signatures is greater than 110 percent of the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be sufficient.

(d)If the statistical sampling shows that the number of valid signatures is within 90 to 110 percent of the number of signatures of qualified voters needed to declare the petition sufficient, the elections official shall examine and verify each signature filed.

If the elections official’s examination of each signature shows that the number of valid signatures is greater than the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be sufficient. If the number of valid signatures is less than the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be insufficient.

(e)If the statistical sampling shows that the number of valid signatures is less than 90 percent of the required number, the elections official shall certify the petition to be insufficient.

(f)In determining from the records of registration the number of valid signatures signed on the petition, the elections official may check the signatures against facsimiles of voters’ signatures, provided that the method of preparing and displaying the facsimiles complies with law.

(g)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.

(h)If the petition is found insufficient, no action shall be taken on the petition. However, the failure to secure sufficient signatures does not preclude the filing later of an entirely new petition to the same effect.

(i)If the

petition is found to be sufficient, the elections official shall certify the results of the examination to the governing body at its next regular meeting.

§ 11226

Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.

If the certificate shows that the petition is insufficient, no action shall be taken on it, but the petition shall remain on file.

§ 11227

Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.

If the elections official finds the signatures on the petition to be sufficient, he or she shall submit his or her certificate as to the sufficiency of the petition to the governing body at its next regular meeting. The certificate shall contain:

(a)The name of the officer whose recall is sought.

(b)The title of his or her office.

(c)The number of signatures required by law.

(d)The total number of signatures on the petition.

(e)The number of valid signatures on the petition.

(f)The number of signatures which were disqualified.