ARTICLE 2. Allowable Changes in Ballot Format and Printing [13230. - 13233.]

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC 2.

in effect

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13230. Section 13230.

(a) If the county elections official determines that, due to the number of candidates and measures that must be printed on the ballot, the ballot will be larger than may be conveniently handled, the county elections official may provide that a nonpartisan ballot shall be given to each partisan voter, together with his or her partisan ballot, and that the material appearing under the heading “Voter-Nominated and Nonpartisan Offices” on partisan ballots, as well as the heading itself, shall be omitted from the partisan ballots. (b) If the county elections official so provides, the procedure prescribed for the handling and canvassing of ballots shall be modified to the extent necessary to permit the use of two ballots by partisan voters. The county elections official may, in this case, order the second ballot to be printed on paper of a different tint, and assign to those ballots numbers higher than those assigned to the ballots containing partisan offices. (c) “Partisan voters,” for purposes of this section, includes both persons who have disclosed a party preference pursuant to Section 2151 or 2152 and persons who have declined to disclose a party preference, but who have chosen to vote the ballot of a political party as authorized by that party’s rules duly noticed to the Secretary of State.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13231. Section 13231.

If the elections official of any county finds it necessary in connection with the use of any approved method of vote counting, the elections official may provide for any of the following changes in the format of ballots in one or more precincts at any election: (a) Ballots may be bound and padded at the side. (b) The left and right edge of ballots may be trimmed to the edge of printed material. (c) A series of punched holes may be provided in the upper right-hand portion of each ballot. (d) The ballot number may be placed at any place along the top left-hand corner of the ballot. (e) A cutout section, not to exceed two inches in depth, commencing at the left-hand edge of the far right column of the ballot, may be provided along the top edge of the ballot. (f) Press perforations may be placed between columns of the ballot, from top to bottom, to permit the folding of the ballot at each perforation. (g) “Yes” and “No” columns where necessary, may be as narrow as one-quarter inch wide. (h) The instructions to voters may be placed at the bottom of the ballot instead of at the top of the ballot, and an appropriate reference to the location of the instructions may be printed in the upper right portion of the ballot. (i) The ballot serial number may be placed on any position of the ballot that does not impact other required text or voting targets on the ballot card.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13232. Section 13232.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the purpose of conducting the Democratic Party Presidential Primary Election, the Secretary of State may, if it is reasonably necessary to accommodate the limitations of a voter system or vote tabulating device, authorize the county elections officials to do any or all of the following: (a) Vary the order of any office or measure listed in Section 13109, with the exception of President of the United States, United States Representative, State Senator, Member of the Assembly, and judicial offices. (b) Place any office listed in Section 13109 on a second ballot, with the exception of United States Representative, State Senator, Member of the State Assembly, judicial offices, County Superintendent of Schools, County Board of Education Members, and county officers. (c) Place any ballot measure, other than a state measure, on a separate ballot.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13233. Section 13233.

In a municipal election, if the number of candidates for an office is such that all of the names will not fit in one column of reasonable length, a double column may be used, and all of the following provisions shall apply: (a) The space between the two halves of the double column shall be less than that between the double column and any other columns on the ballot, and the lines separating the columns and the two halves of the double column shall be printed so as to emphasize the fact that the candidates in the double column are running for the same office. (b) The designation of the office and any other words required to be at the top of the contest shall be printed across the top of the entire double column with no dividing line. The words “Vote for one,” “Vote for two,” or more, as the case may be, shall be centered over the entire double column and shall be printed below any other words at the top of the double column. (c) The names of the candidates, including the blank space or spaces necessary to permit the voter to write in the names of persons not printed on the ballot, shall be apportioned as equally as possible between the two columns. The odd space, if any, shall be included in the left-hand column. (d) The double column shall be used for no more than one office and for no more than one term for any office. (e) The order of names and blank spaces in the double column shall be the same as would apply to a single column with the left-hand side of the double column taken first.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026