§ 11020 Recall Petition Requirements

This law tells you what has to be in a notice that starts a recall of an elected officer and how many supporters (proponents) must be listed, depending on how many voters are in the area and how many signatures were needed on the nomination paper.

Key Takeaways

•The notice must include the officer’s name and title, a short reason (≤200 words), and the printed name, signature, and address of each supporter.
•The number of supporters you must list depends on how many voters live in the area and how many signatures were needed on the nomination paper.
•Use the formula “max(Fixed Minimum, Multiplier × Required Signatures)” to figure out the exact number of supporters required.

Example

A town with 120,000 registered voters wants to recall its mayor. The nomination paper for the mayor required 200 signatures.

The recall notice must list the mayor’s name and title, a short (max 200‑word) reason for the recall, the printed name, signature and address of each supporter, and the rules from Section 11023. Because the town has more than 100,000 voters, the law says the notice must list at least 50 supporters or five times the 200 required signatures—whichever is bigger. Five times 200 is 1,000, so the notice must list at least 1,000 supporters.

How to Calculate

Minimum proponents = max( Fixed Minimum, Multiplier × Required Signatures )

Find out which voter‑population group the office falls into (≥100,000, 1,000‑99,999, or <1,000).
Look up the Fixed Minimum number of proponents for that group (50, 30, or 30).
Look up the Multiplier for that group (5, 3, or none).
Multiply the Multiplier by the number of signatures that were required on the nomination paper.
Compare the result from Step 4 with the Fixed Minimum from Step 2. The larger number is the Minimum proponents you must list.

Recall of a city mayor in a jurisdiction with 150,000 voters; nomination required 250 signatures.

Result: Multiplier × Required Signatures = 5 × 250 = 1,250. Compare 1,250 with Fixed Minimum 50 → the larger number is 1,250. So the notice must list at least 1,250 proponents.

(a) The notice of intention shall contain all of the following: (1) The name and title of the officer sought to be recalled. (2) A statement, not exceeding 200 words in length, of the reasons for the proposed recall. (3) The printed name, signature, and residence address, including street and number, city, and ZIP Code, of each of the proponents of the recall. If a proponent cannot receive mail at the residence address, the proponent shall provide an alternative mailing address. The notice of intention shall include at least the number of proponents specified in subdivision (b). (4) The provisions of Section 11023. (b) (1) For a state office, and for a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is at least 100,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 50, or equal to five times the number of signatures required to have been filed on the nomination paper of the officer sought to be recalled, whichever is higher. (2) For a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is at least 1,000 but less than 100,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 30, or equal to three times the number of signatures required to have been filed on the nomination paper of the officer sought to be recalled, whichever is higher. (3) For a local office where the number of registered voters in the electoral jurisdiction is less than 1,000, the minimum number of proponents listed on the notice of intention is 30. (Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 791, Sec. 1. (AB 2584) Effective January 1, 2023.)

Key Takeaways

•The notice must include the officer’s name and title, a short reason (≤200 words), and the printed name, signature, and address of each supporter.
•The number of supporters you must list depends on how many voters live in the area and how many signatures were needed on the nomination paper.
•Use the formula “max(Fixed Minimum, Multiplier × Required Signatures)” to figure out the exact number of supporters required.

Example

A town with 120,000 registered voters wants to recall its mayor. The nomination paper for the mayor required 200 signatures.

How to Calculate

Minimum proponents = max( Fixed Minimum, Multiplier × Required Signatures )

Find out which voter‑population group the office falls into (≥100,000, 1,000‑99,999, or <1,000).
Look up the Fixed Minimum number of proponents for that group (50, 30, or 30).
Look up the Multiplier for that group (5, 3, or none).
Multiply the Multiplier by the number of signatures that were required on the nomination paper.
Compare the result from Step 4 with the Fixed Minimum from Step 2. The larger number is the Minimum proponents you must list.

Recall of a city mayor in a jurisdiction with 150,000 voters; nomination required 250 signatures.

Result: Multiplier × Required Signatures = 5 × 250 = 1,250. Compare 1,250 with Fixed Minimum 50 → the larger number is 1,250. So the notice must list at least 1,250 proponents.

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

References

§ 11020 Recall Petition Requirements

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

References

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

Related Statutes

References