§ 16920 Election Contest Appeals

Elections Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law lets either side in a contest ask a higher court to review a decision, as long as they do it within 10 days, and the higher court must handle that request before any other appeals.

Key Takeaways

•Either side in a contest can appeal the decision.
•The appeal must be filed within 10 days after the judgment is announced.
•That appeal gets priority over all other appeals.
•The district court of appeal must act on the appeal within 10 days of filing.

Example

Two teams compete in a local spelling bee. After the judges rule that Team A wins, Team B thinks the decision was wrong and wants to challenge it.

Team B can file an appeal to the district court of appeal within 10 days of the judges' decision. That appeal will be dealt with before any other appeals, and the court must act on it within 10 days of receiving the filing.

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

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 16920 Election Contest Appeals

Either party to a contest may appeal to the district court of appeal of the district where the contest is brought, if the appeal is perfected by the appellant within 10 days after judgment of the superior court is pronounced. The appeal shall have precedence over all other appeals and shall be acted upon by the district court of appeal within 10 days after the appeal is filed. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

appeal district court of appeal 10 days judgment superior court

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 16920.

§ 16920 Election Contest Appeals

Elections Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

§ 16920 Election Contest Appeals

This law lets either side in a contest ask a higher court to review a decision, as long as they do it within 10 days, and the higher court must handle that request before any other appeals.

Key Takeaways

•Either side in a contest can appeal the decision.
•The appeal must be filed within 10 days after the judgment is announced.
•That appeal gets priority over all other appeals.
•The district court of appeal must act on the appeal within 10 days of filing.

Example

Two teams compete in a local spelling bee. After the judges rule that Team A wins, Team B thinks the decision was wrong and wants to challenge it.

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

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 16920 Election Contest Appeals

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

appeal district court of appeal 10 days judgment superior court

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 16920.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References