§ 18571 Counting Board Disobedience Penalty

This law says that anyone working on a vote‑counting board must follow legal orders from the county elections official or their deputy, or they can be charged with a misdemeanor (unless they’re already committing a bigger crime).

Key Takeaways

•Applies only to people serving on a vote‑counting board.
•They must obey any lawful order from the county elections official or deputy.
•Disobeying can be a misdemeanor unless the refusal is already part of a more serious crime.

Example

A person who is counting ballots refuses to follow the election official’s order to count a set of mail‑in ballots by a certain deadline.

Because they didn’t obey the lawful order while serving on the counting board, they could be charged with a misdemeanor under this law.

Any person acting on any counting board who refuses to obey any lawful order of the county elections official or his or her deputy is guilty of a misdemeanor, unless he or she is by his or her refusal guilty of a higher crime under the laws of this state. (Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)

Key Takeaways

•Applies only to people serving on a vote‑counting board.
•They must obey any lawful order from the county elections official or deputy.
•Disobeying can be a misdemeanor unless the refusal is already part of a more serious crime.

Example

A person who is counting ballots refuses to follow the election official’s order to count a set of mail‑in ballots by a certain deadline.

Because they didn’t obey the lawful order while serving on the counting board, they could be charged with a misdemeanor under this law.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

§ 18571 Counting Board Disobedience Penalty

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References