BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS
AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Senator Lou Correa, Chair
BILL NO: AB 362 HEARING DATE:
6/7/11
AUTHOR: LOWENTHAL ANALYSIS BY:
Darren Chesin
AMENDED: 5/9/11
FISCAL: NO
SUBJECT
Write-in Candidates: specified local offices
DESCRIPTION
Existing law provides that in any county in which only the
incumbent has filed nomination papers for the
office of superior court judge, his or her name will not
appear on the ballot unless within 10 days after the filing
deadline a petition is filed indicating that a write-in
campaign will be conducted for the office which is signed
by 100 registered voters qualified to vote for that office.
This bill instead requires that a petition indicating that
a write-in campaign will be conducted for the office of
superior court judge be signed by one-tenth of one percent
of the registered voters qualified to vote for that office,
except that the petition must have no fewer than 100 and
does not need more than 600 signatures.
Existing law requires candidates seeking to run for
specified offices must provide documentation sufficient to
establish that they meet minimum qualifications to hold
those offices when they file a declaration of candidacy,
nomination papers, or statement of write-in candidacy.
These offices include County Auditor, District Attorney,
County Sheriff, County Superintendent of Schools, Superior
Court Judge, County Treasurer, County Tax Collector, and
County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
Existing law requires every person who desires to be a
write-in candidate and have his or her name as written on
the ballot of an election counted for a particular office
to file a statement of write-in candidacy.
This bill requires a write-in candidate for the offices of
County Auditor, District Attorney, County Sheriff, County
Superintendent of Schools, Superior Court Judge, County
Treasurer, County Tax Collector, and County Treasurer-Tax
Collector to include a declaration on the statement of
write-in candidacy that he or she satisfies the eligibility
requirements for those offices.
BACKGROUND
Not on the Ballot . Unlike candidates for State
Legislature, incumbent superior court judges and other
specified local officeholders do not appear on the ballot
if nobody files to run against them unless a petition is
filed indicating that a write-in campaign will be
conducted. In fact, candidates for superior court judge
typically do not appear on the ballot, because it is fairly
common for an incumbent judge to be unopposed in a
re-election bid.
As a result, write-in candidates for superior court judge
must organize a write-in candidacy much earlier than a
write-in candidate for other offices. While the deadline
for submitting a declaration of write-in candidacy for
judge is the same as the deadline for submitting a write-in
candidacy for any other office (14 days before the
election), a candidate who plans to run as a write-in
candidate for judge against an unopposed incumbent will
have to file a petition weeks earlier to ensure that the
judge's name is on the ballot, and that a write-in
candidacy is even an option.
Are You Qualified ? Candidates for the local offices
mentioned above must provide documentation sufficient to
establish that they meet minimum qualifications to hold
those offices. For instance, candidates for judge have to
be a member of the State Bar or served as a judge of a
court of record in California for 10 years. Candidates for
District Attorney must also be a member of the State Bar
while candidates for Sheriff must possess an active or
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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inactive advanced certificate issued by the Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training or possess a specified
combination of professional law enforcement experience and
related education.
COMMENTS
1. According to the author , a low signature threshold and
lack of explicit requirements for write-in candidates to
verify they are qualified for the office of superior
court judge allows people who aren't intending to run
for the office to harass sitting judges and cost the
taxpayer's money. In a large county like Los Angeles,
the requirement for 100 signatures is very easily
reached, whereas in smaller counties it is more
reflective of the amount of registered voters. In
addition, existing law isn't explicit enough that
write-in candidates need to confirm that they meet the
constitutional requirements for the office of superior
court judge.
For example, in the 2008 June primary, a known white
supremacist used the low signature requirement and lack
of requirement to demonstrate qualifications to file
write-in campaigns against six sitting judges based on
their Hispanic surnames. The judges were left unsure if
they needed to raise money, hire consultants and
actually run a campaign.
Because the judges would have been left off the ballot
otherwise, the Los Angeles County Registrar had to add
those contests to the ballot, arrange for translation
into other languages and print additional ballot
material for campaigns that never materialized.
This bill raises the signature threshold for persons
seeking to be a write-in candidate for superior court
judge to .01% of the eligible registered voters in the
county the candidacy is filed in, with a minimum of 100
and a maximum of 600. It would also require write-in
candidates for a variety of county offices, including
superior court judge to file a statement that they meet
the statutory or constitution requirements for the
office they are seeking.
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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2. Previous Legislation . AB 1335 (Lieu) of 2010, was
similar in intent to this bill but capped the maximum
number of petition signatures at 1,000 instead of 600.
AB 1335 was vetoed by the Governor. In his veto
message, the Governor stated, in part:
By increasing the number of signatures
required of a write-in candidate, this bill
could deter an individual from challenging an
incumbent for the office of superior court
judge. I have long supported the people's
right to transform their government, whether
through, initiative, referendum, or recall.
Allowing write-in candidates to oppose a
current elected official is a similar
opportunity for the people to make their voice
heard.
The situation noted by proponents of this
measure highlights the unfortunate possibility
for abuse by individuals that launch a
campaign based on prejudice. However, this
regrettable incident does not warrant the
significant change proposed in this bill. Our
democracy is successful in part because it is
structured with three co-equal branches of
government. Current law regarding write-in
candidates allows an individual to challenge a
Member of the House of Representatives with as
few as 40 signatures, and state constitutional
officers with as few as 65 signatures. This
bill would create a new standard for superior
court judges, increasing the requirement in
some counties to 1,000 signatures. This would
set a precedent that I cannot support.
3. Required Number of Signatures . Under this bill, the
number of signatures required on a petition indicating
a write-in campaign for judge would range from 100 to
600 depending on the total number of registered voters
in the relevant county.
The following table shows the number of signatures
required by this bill based on recent voter
registration statistics:
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|County | Eligible|Registere| 0.01%|# of | | | | | | |
| | | d| |Signature| | | | | | |
| | | | |s | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Alpine | 893| 733| 1| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Sierra | 2,479| 2,298| 2| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Modoc | 6,994| 5,471| 5| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Mono | 9,512| 6,286| 6| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Trinity | 10,650| 7,642| 8| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Colusa | 12,073| 7,867| 8| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Inyo | 13,019| 9,406| 9| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Mariposa | 14,079| 11,367| 11| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Glenn | 17,659| 12,264| 12| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Del | 18,124| 12,441| 12| 100| | | | | | |
|Norte | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Plumas | 15,445| 13,055| 13| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Lassen | 18,050| 14,291| 14| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Amador | 26,094| 21,354| 21| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San | 34,692| 25,352| 25| 100| | | | | | |
|Benito | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Siskiyou | 33,881| 25,919| 26| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Yuba | 46,029| 28,677| 29| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Calaveras| 34,881| 28,740| 29| 100| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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|Tehama | 43,354| 31,163| 31| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Tuolumne | 38,476| 31,891| 32| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Lake | 46,603| 32,551| 33| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Sutter | 62,506| 40,140| 40| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Mendocino| 62,228| 48,614| 49| 100| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Kings | 81,007| 49,116| 49| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Madera | 84,767| 54,817| 55| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Imperial | 93,890| 54,957| 55| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Nevada | 74,144| 61,411| 61| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Napa | 92,914| 69,872| 70| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Humboldt | 99,924| 77,755| 78| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Merced | 141,339| 95,844| 96| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Shasta | 133,134| 96,463| 96| 100| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Yolo | 132,225| 102,160| 102| 102| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|El | 129,238| 107,925| 108| 108| | | | | | |
|Dorado | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Butte | 160,298| 115,737| 116| 116| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Santa | 182,864| 148,501| 149| 149| | | | | | |
|Cruz | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Tulare | 248,522| 149,667| 150| 150| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Marin | 183,477| 151,876| 152| 152| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San Luis | 196,365| 156,504| 157| 157| | | | | | |
|Obispo | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Monterey | 238,281| 160,221| 160| 160| | | | | | |
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|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Solano | 274,565| 196,133| 196| 196| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Santa | 280,517| 198,457| 198| 198| | | | | | |
|Barbara | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Placer | 248,397| 202,876| 203| 203| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Stanislau| 324,720| 229,109| 229| 229| | | | | | |
|s | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Sonoma | 339,466| 248,273| 248| 248| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San | 415,708| 269,777| 270| 270| | | | | | |
|Joaquin | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Kern | 484,611| 311,585| 312| 312| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San | 488,810| 346,516| 347| 347| | | | | | |
|Mateo | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Fresno | 548,699| 391,572| 392| 392| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Ventura | 532,050| 423,994| 424| 424| | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San | 620,651| 461,768| 462| 462| | | | | | |
|Francisco| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Contra | 712,085| 533,825| 534| 534| | | | | | |
|Costa | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Sacrament| 941,477| 678,923| 679| 600| | | | | | |
|o | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Alameda |1,006,632| 765,885| 766| 600| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Santa |1,139,951| 779,330| 779| 600| | | | | | |
|Clara | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San |1,234,760| 806,163| 806| 600| | | | | | |
|Bernardin| | | | | | | | | | |
|o | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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|Riverside|1,304,845| 857,839| 858| 600| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|San |2,099,557|1,442,161| 1,442| 600| | | | | | |
|Diego | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Orange |1,890,794|1,621,934| 1,622| 600| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
|Los |5,823,294|4,449,415| 4,449| 600| | | | | | |
|Angeles | | | | | | | | | | |
|---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRIOR ACTION
Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee:5-1
Assembly Floor: 53-21
POSITIONS
Sponsor: California Judges Association
Support: California Advocates
California Association of Clerks and Election
Officials
Judicial Council of California
Oppose: None received
AB 362 (LOWENTHAL) Page
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