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HomeElections CodeDiv. 6Pt. 1Ch. 4Art. 7§ 6844 Election Certificate Issuance Rules

§ 6844 Election Certificate Issuance Rules

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

§ 6844 Election Certificate Issuance Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •After an election, the Secretary of State has 32 days to give out certificates to the winners.
  • •The winners are listed in the order the group decided, or if no order was given, in the order their names were on the nomination paper.
  • •If the number of winners is even, half must be from the northern part of the state and half from the southern part. If it's odd, the part with more Peace and Freedom Party voters gets one extra winner.
  • •If someone wrote in a candidate, their delegates get certified within three business days of getting the names.

Example

Imagine a group of people running for office in California. Some are from the north, some from the south.

The Secretary of State will list the winners in the order the group chose. If they didn't choose an order, the winners are listed as their names appeared on the nomination paper. Also, if 4 people are to be chosen, 2 must be from the north and 2 from the south. If 5 are to be chosen, the part with more Peace and Freedom Party voters gets 3 winners, and the other part gets 2.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 6844 Election Certificate Issuance Rules

The Secretary of State shall, not later than the 32nd day after the election, issue a certificate of election to as many persons in each group as are entitled to be declared elected from that group pursuant to Section 6840. The names certified from each group shall be certified in the order in which they were specified by the group pursuant to Section 6842. If no order was specified, the Secretary of State shall certify as many persons from the group as are entitled to be elected from the order in which the names of the candidates appeared on the nomination paper of the group, with the additional requirement that an equal number of names be selected of persons residing in the northern and the southern territories, or, if the number to be selected is odd, that one more person residing in the territory with the greater portion of the state’s registered Peace and Freedom Party voters shall be certified than the number of persons certified residing in the other territory. Certification of any delegates to which a write-in candidate is entitled shall be made within three business days of the receipt of the names of those delegates pursuant to Sections 6846 and 6847. (Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 55, Sec. 12. Effective January 1, 2001.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

certificate of electionSecretary of Statenorthern and southern territoriesPeace and Freedom Party voterswrite-in candidate

Related Statutes

  • § 6842 Delegate Certification Order
  • § 6846 Write-In Delegate Certification
  • § 18372 Electioneering Notice Requirements
  • § 6763 Delegate Selection Proportionality
  • § 6822 Write-In Presidential Candidate Filing

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 6844.
View Official Source