LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeElections CodeDiv. 15Ch. 6Art. 5§ 15490 Central Committee Election Rules

§ 15490 Central Committee Election Rules

Elections Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 15490 Central Committee Election Rules

This law explains how people get elected to a political party's central committee. It says the candidates with the most votes win, but there are special rules for write-in candidates.

Key Takeaways

  • •The candidates with the most votes win a spot on the central committee.
  • •Write-in candidates must get at least 2% of the votes or 20 votes (whichever is less) to win.
  • •Votes for other political offices don’t count toward central committee elections.

Example

Imagine a local election where people vote for members of a political party's central committee.

The candidates who get the most votes win. But if someone writes in a name (not on the ballot), they only win if they get at least 2% of the votes or 20 votes, whichever is smaller.

How to Calculate

Minimum votes for write-in candidate = max(2% of party members voting, 20 votes)

  1. Count the total number of party members who voted in the district.
  2. Calculate 2% of that number.
  3. Compare 2% of the votes to 20 votes. The smaller number is the minimum votes needed for a write-in candidate to win.

In a district, 1,000 party members vote in the election.

Result: A write-in candidate needs at least 20 votes to win.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 15490 Central Committee Election Rules

In each county the number of candidates for member of central committees to be elected in each central committee election district who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. The names and votes of all nominees for partisan public office qualified for central committees membership pursuant to Section 7755 shall be excluded from the list of candidates for member of central committees and disregarded in the determination of the candidates with the highest number of votes. No write-in candidate for member of central committees shall be declared elected, however, unless that candidate has received a number of votes equal to or greater than 2 percent of the number of party members voting in the central committee election district at the direct primary, or 20 votes, whichever is less. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

central committeeswrite-in candidate2 percent20 votes

Related Statutes

  • § 18580 Firearm Definition And Scope
  • § 18581 Election Intimidation Prohibition
  • § 18582 Election Violation Enforcement
  • § 13500 Partisan Primary Election Rules
  • § 13501 Voter Party Preference Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 15490.
View Official Source