CHAPTER 5. Election [24200. - 24206.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 5.
in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 24200. Section 24200.

Except as otherwise provided, all elective county officers shall be elected at the election specified pursuant to Section 1300 of the Elections Code and take office at 12 o'clock noon on the first Monday after the January 1 succeeding their election.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 24203. Section 24203.

Within six months after the first general election succeeding the creation of the county, the supervisors of any county created after July 1, 1907, shall classify themselves by lot into two classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, and the term of office of the class having the greater number shall expire in two years from the commencement of the term, and the term of office of the class having the lesser number shall terminate in four years from the commencement of the term.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 24204. Section 24204.

Whenever any county frames and adopts a charter for its government, which is approved by the Legislature, and the charter provides for the appointment of any officers of a county, the officers first appointed under the charter are the successors of the like elective officers in office at the time of the approval of the charter. The elective officers shall continue to hold office for the term for which they were elected and until the appointment and qualification of their successors under the charter. No election for any officer whose successor is to be appointed shall be had at any election held subsequent to the approval of the charter, except to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 24205. Section 24205.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of Section 24204, or any other statute, the office of sheriff shall be filled by election as provided in this chapter for elective county officers, and vacancies shall be filled as provided by law for filling elective county offices, unless the county or city and county is chartered and such charter provides for election of the sheriff by vote of the electors. (b) In any charter county or city and county, whose charter provides for filling the office of sheriff other than by election by vote of the electors, in conflict with subdivision (c) of Section 4 of Article XI of the California Constitution, the office of sheriff of such charter county or city and county shall be filled as provided in subdivision (a).

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 24206. Section 24206.

Notwithstanding any other law, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara may adopt, or a voter of that county may propose by initiative, an ordinance to elect an officer of that county by ranked choice voting. The ordinance shall specify which county officers shall be elected by this method and whether they shall be elected at large or by or from district, as applicable. Notwithstanding Section 1300 of the Elections Code or any other law, an ordinance that provides for a ranked choice voting process may hold that election at the statewide primary election at which the election otherwise would be held in accordance with Section 1300 of the Elections Code, the first statewide general election following that statewide primary election, or a combination thereof. The ordinance may further specify whether ranked choice voting may be used in special elections to fill vacancies in county offices. Such special elections may be held on any date allowed for such special elections.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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