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HomeElections CodeDiv. 12Ch. 4Art. 1§ 12327 Emergency Polling Place Appointments

§ 12327 Emergency Polling Place Appointments

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

§ 12327 Emergency Polling Place Appointments

This law says the county elections official must quickly appoint precinct board members or pick a polling place if they are missing before an election, and can use a nearby precinct’s location if needed.

Key Takeaways

  • •The county elections official must act immediately by written order to fill missing board members or set a polling place.
  • •All appointed board members must be notified of their appointment.
  • •If no suitable polling place can be found, the official may use a location in a neighboring precinct, and board members there count as serving the correct precinct.

Example

In a rural area, the local precinct board was never chosen before the November election and no school was set as a polling place.

The county elections official writes an order naming people to the board and chooses the town hall as the polling place. If the town hall couldn’t be used, the official could pick the school in the next‑door precinct and treat the board members working there as if they were serving the original precinct.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 12327 Emergency Polling Place Appointments

(a) If the precinct board members for any precinct have not been appointed or cannot serve, or the polling place has not been designated prior to an election, the county elections official shall, by written order, immediately appoint the precinct board members or designate the polling place for the precinct, as the case may require, and shall notify each precinct board member of the appointment. (b) If, at this time, the elections official cannot make suitable arrangements for a polling place in any precinct in which none has been designated, the elections official may designate a polling place in any contiguous precinct. Any precinct board member serving in this polling place shall be regarded as serving in the proper precinct within the meaning of this chapter. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 725, Sec. 33. Effective January 1, 1997.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

precinct board memberspolling placecounty elections officialwritten ordercontiguous precinct

Related Statutes

  • § 12306 Party Precinct Board Nominations
  • § 12309.5 Precinct Board Training Standards
  • § 12318 Precinct Board Member List
  • § 14402 Polling Place Closing Time
  • § 14405 Ballot Accounting By Precincts

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 12327.
View Official Source