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HomeElections CodeDiv. 16Ch. 7Art. 3§ 16641 Judicial Assignment For Recounts

§ 16641 Judicial Assignment For Recounts

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

§ 16641 Judicial Assignment For Recounts

This law says that when a case is in a county with several judges, the judge handling the case must quickly tell the chief judge how many judges are needed to finish the election contest on time, and the chief judge must promptly assign those judges to help with the recount and decision.

Key Takeaways

  • •The assigned judge must promptly notify the presiding judge of how many judges are needed.
  • •The presiding judge must quickly designate the needed judges in writing.
  • •All designated judges must take part in the ballot recount and give the final judgment.

Example

A county has three superior court judges and there is a dispute over an election that must be settled before the final ballots are printed.

The judge who got the case tells the presiding judge right away that two more judges are needed. The presiding judge then writes an order naming those two judges, and all three judges work together to recount the votes and issue a ruling.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 16641 Judicial Assignment For Recounts

If the proceeding is in a county where there is more than one superior court judge, the judge to whom the case is assigned shall notify the presiding judge forthwith of the number of judges which he or she deems necessary to participate in order to finish the contest in time to print the ballots for the final election. The presiding judge shall forthwith designate as many judges as are necessary to completion of the contest, by order in writing and thereupon all of the judges so designated shall participate in the recount of the ballots and the giving of judgment in the contest in the manner specified in this article. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

superior court judgepresiding judgerecount of the ballotsgiving of judgment

Related Statutes

  • § 16640 Election Recount Judge Assistance
  • § 16642 Judicial Recount Assignment Rules
  • § 16643 Recount Procedures And Assistants
  • § 18620 Initiative Measure Bribery Ban
  • § 18621 Initiative Petition Abandonment Bans

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 16641.
View Official Source