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HomeElections CodeDiv. 13Ch. 3Art. 1§ 13202 Ballot Uniformity Requirements

§ 13202 Ballot Uniformity Requirements

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

§ 13202 Ballot Uniformity Requirements

This law makes sure every ballot printed for the same voting place looks exactly the same – same size, paper, ink color, and font – so you can’t tell one ballot from another just by looking at it.

Key Takeaways

  • •All ballots for the same polling place must be identical in size, paper type, ink color, and layout.
  • •Candidate names must be printed in the same font size; if space is tight, the size can be adjusted but must stay close to the others.
  • •For multilingual ballots, names must be at least 8‑point type if they can’t fit the required 10‑point bold size.

Example

A county clerk prints 1,000 ballots for a precinct. All the ballots must be the same size, on the same kind of paper, with the same ink shade, and the candidate names must be in the same font size.

Because of the law, a voter can’t pick a ballot that looks different from the rest, which helps keep voting fair and secret.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 13202 Ballot Uniformity Requirements

(a) All ballots of the same sort prepared by any county elections official, clerk or secretary of a legislative body, or other person having charge of preparing ballots for the same polling place, shall be precisely the same size, arrangement, quality and tint of paper, and kind of type, and shall be printed with ink of the same tint, so that without the numbers on the stubs it is impossible to distinguish any one of the ballots from the other ballots of the same sort. (b) The names of all candidates printed upon the ballot shall be in type of the same size and character. If there is not sufficient space for a candidate name, the size may be adjusted as close as possible to the size and character of all the other candidate names printed upon the ballot. (c) For multilingual ballots, if there is not sufficient space to print candidate names in at least 10-point bold type, as required by Section 13211, the size of candidate names shall be uniformly adjusted to a size that is no less than 8-point type. (Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 676, Sec. 16. (AB 1219) Effective January 1, 2024.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

ballotssame sortpolling placecandidate namesmultilingual ballots10-point bold type8-point type

Related Statutes

  • § 13201 Party Ballot Distinction Rules
  • § 13211 Ballot Candidate Name Format
  • § 13217 Ballot Numbering Requirements
  • § 13219 Ballot Binding Requirements
  • § 14202 Voter List Posting Requirements

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 13202.
View Official Source