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HomeElections CodeDiv. 6Pt. 1Ch. 3Art. 2§ 6520 Presidential Candidate Ballot Listing

§ 6520 Presidential Candidate Ballot Listing

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

§ 6520 Presidential Candidate Ballot Listing

Key Takeaways

  • •The Secretary of State decides who gets on the American Independent Party's presidential ballot based on who is well-known in the news for trying to be the party's president.
  • •The Secretary of State must share the list of candidates with the public and news outlets at least 88 days before the election.
  • •After sharing the list, the Secretary of State can add more candidates but cannot remove any names already on the list.

Example

A person named John is running for president and is often talked about on TV and in newspapers as a candidate for the American Independent Party.

The Secretary of State will put John's name on the ballot because he is well-known in the news. Then, the Secretary of State will share this list with everyone at least 88 days before the election. Even if John stops campaigning later, his name stays on the list.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 6520 Presidential Candidate Ballot Listing

(a) The Secretary of State shall place the name of a candidate upon the American Independent Party presidential preference ballot when the Secretary of State has determined that the candidate is generally advocated for or recognized in the news media throughout the United States or California as actively seeking the nomination of the American Independent Party for President of the United States. (b) On or before the 88th day preceding a presidential primary election, the Secretary of State shall publicly announce and distribute to the news media for publication a list of the candidates the Secretary of State intends to place on the ballot at the following presidential primary election. Following this announcement the Secretary of State may add candidates to the Secretary of State’s selection, but the Secretary of State may not delete any candidate whose name appears on the announced list. (Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 149, Sec. 11. (SB 505) Effective July 30, 2019.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

American Independent Partypresidential preference ballotSecretary of Statenews media88th day preceding a presidential primary election

Related Statutes

  • § 6523 Presidential Candidate Nomination Papers
  • § 13232 Democratic Primary Ballot Flexibility
  • § 19220 Voting System Testing Agencies
  • § 19223 Voting System Certification Testing
  • § 6521 Candidate Ballot Withdrawal Notice

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 6520.
View Official Source