CHAPTER 1. Purchasing Procedures [13000. - 13006.]

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC 1.

in effect

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13000. Section 13000.

The person in charge of elections for any county, city and county, city, or district shall provide ballots for any elections within his or her jurisdiction, and shall cause to be printed on them the name of every candidate whose name has been certified to or filed with the proper officer pursuant to law and who, therefore, is entitled to a place on the appropriate ballot.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13001. Section 13001.

All expenses authorized and necessarily incurred in the preparation for, and conduct of, elections as provided in this code shall be paid from the county treasuries, except that when an election is called by the governing body of a city the expenses shall be paid from the treasury of the city. All payments shall be made in the same manner as other county or city expenditures are made. The elections official, in providing the materials required by this division, need not utilize the services of the county or city purchasing agent.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13002. Section 13002.

Ballot paper and ballot cards used by a jurisdiction holding an election pursuant to the laws of California shall be tinted and watermarked or overprinted with a design, to be furnished by the Secretary of State, so that the watermark or overprint is plainly discernible.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13004. Section 13004.

(a) The Secretary of State shall adopt regulations governing the manufacture, finishing, quality standards, distribution, and inventory control of ballot cards and ballot on demand systems. (b) A ballot printer shall not manufacture or finish ballot cards, or manufacture unfinished ballot cards, for use in California elections, or accept or solicit orders for ballot cards or unfinished ballot cards, before certification as a ballot printer by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may impose conditions of approval as deemed necessary by the Secretary of State. (c) For commercial ballot manufacturers and finishers, the Secretary of State shall require a biennial inspection of the certified manufacturing, finishing, and storage facilities. (d) Not later than five working days before the Secretary of State begins the initial inspection, the ballot card manufacturer or finisher shall notify or disclose to the Secretary of State in writing any known flaw or defect in its ballot card manufacturing or finishing process, or its manufactured or finished ballot cards, that could adversely affect the future casting or tallying of votes. Once approved by the Secretary of State, the ballot card manufacturer or finisher shall notify the Secretary of State and the affected local elections officials in writing within 24 hours after it discovers any flaw or defect in its ballot card manufacturing or finishing process, or its manufactured or finished ballot cards, that could adversely affect the future casting or tallying of votes. (e) For purposes of this section, “ballot printer” means any company or jurisdiction that manufactures, finishes, or sells ballot cards, including test ballots, for use in an election conducted pursuant to this code.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13004.5. Section 13004.5.

(a) A jurisdiction shall not purchase, lease, or contract for a ballot on demand system unless the ballot on demand system has been certified by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may impose additional conditions of approval as deemed necessary by the Secretary of State. (b) A vendor, company, or person shall not sell, lease, or contract with a jurisdiction for the use of a ballot on demand system unless the ballot on demand system has been certified by the Secretary of State. (c) This section does not preclude a jurisdiction from conducting research and development of a ballot on demand system. A ballot on demand system that is used for purposes of this subdivision shall not be used in an election conducted pursuant to this code unless the system has been certified by the Secretary of State. (d) Once a ballot on demand system is approved by the Secretary of State, the ballot on demand system vendor shall notify the Secretary of State and the affected local elections officials in writing within 24 hours after it discovers any flaw or defect in its ballot on demand system that could adversely affect the future casting or tallying of votes. (e) The Secretary of State shall promulgate regulations for purposes of certifying ballot on demand systems.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13005. Section 13005.

(a) Before a user may purchase ballot cards, the user shall request in writing a release for a specific quantity of these ballot cards from the Secretary of State. If the request is in order, the Secretary of State shall issue a written release for that quantity to the manufacturer, or to the authorized warehouse, and to the user. The format, text, and use of the request and release shall be governed by regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. (b) Nothing in this section prohibits a verbal request or verbal release, provided that this verbal request or verbal release is immediately confirmed in writing. The regulations shall expressly deny the manufacturing of ballot cards without a specific release.

Cal. Elections Code - ELEC § 13006. Section 13006.

A user, vendor, or manufacturer shall not warehouse for a subsequent election ballot paper or ballot cards furnished or released by the Secretary of State for a specific election without first obtaining authorization in writing from the Secretary of State for the storage. The authorization shall include the particular details of the amount to be stored so that audit controls may be established and maintained. Ballot paper or ballot cards not used in that election, not authorized to be retained for subsequent elections, and not returned to the Secretary of State, shall be destroyed. A certificate of destruction setting forth the date of destruction and the amount of the ballot paper or ballot cards destroyed shall be transmitted to the Secretary of State.

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