§ 200 Candidate Oath Requirement

Elections Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law says anyone who files to run for a primary or final election must include the exact oath from the Constitution in their candidacy paperwork, no matter what other rules say.

Key Takeaways

•All primary and final election candidates must put the constitutional oath in their declaration.
•The requirement overrides any other law that might conflict.
•The rule has been in effect since January 1 1997.

Example

Jane wants to run for the state senate primary and fills out her candidate declaration form.

Because of this law, Jane has to copy the exact oath from Section 3 of Article XX of the Constitution into her form, even if another rule tried to let her skip it.

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

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 200 Candidate Oath Requirement

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, there shall be set forth in full in the declaration of candidacy required for any primary or final election the oath or affirmation set forth in Section 3 of Article XX of the Constitution. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 724, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1997.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

declaration of candidacy oath or affirmation Section 3 of Article XX of the Constitution

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 200.

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Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

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