§ 18614 Fraudulent Petition Signature Penalties

Elections Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law says you can be fined up to $5,000 or sent to jail if you knowingly put a fake signature on a petition for an initiative, referendum, or recall.

Key Takeaways

•Only use real, genuine signatures on any petition.
•If you knowingly add a fake signature, you can be fined up to $5,000.
•You could also be sent to state prison for up to 16 months, or to a county jail for up to 1 year, or both.

Example

A community member submits a recall petition and adds a signature that belongs to a neighbor, even though the neighbor never signed it.

Because the person knew the signature was not real, the law says they can be punished with a fine, jail time, or both.

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

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 18614 Fraudulent Petition Signature Penalties

Every person is punishable by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, who files in the office of the elections official or other officer designated by law to receive the filing, any initiative, referendum, or recall petition to which is attached, appended or subscribed any signature which the person filing the petition knows to be false or fraudulent or not the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 91. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

initiative referendum recall petition false or fraudulent signature

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 18614.

§ 18614 Fraudulent Petition Signature Penalties

Elections Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

§ 18614 Fraudulent Petition Signature Penalties

This law says you can be fined up to $5,000 or sent to jail if you knowingly put a fake signature on a petition for an initiative, referendum, or recall.

Key Takeaways

•Only use real, genuine signatures on any petition.
•If you knowingly add a fake signature, you can be fined up to $5,000.
•You could also be sent to state prison for up to 16 months, or to a county jail for up to 1 year, or both.

Example

A community member submits a recall petition and adds a signature that belongs to a neighbor, even though the neighbor never signed it.

Because the person knew the signature was not real, the law says they can be punished with a fine, jail time, or both.

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

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 18614 Fraudulent Petition Signature Penalties

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

initiative referendum recall petition false or fraudulent signature

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 18614.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References