Special legislative or congressional election: instant runoff voting.

Existing law requires the Governor to call a special election to fill a vacancy in a congressional or legislative office within 14 calendar days of the occurrence of the vacancy and provides that all candidates be listed on the ballot and, if any candidate receives a majority of all votes cast, he or she shall be declared elected. If a candidate does not receive a majority of all votes cast, the names of the candidates receiving the most votes representing a qualified political party are placed on the special general election ballot as that party's candidate. Under existing law, the special primary and the special general elections are required to be conducted within specified time periods. This bill would instead authorize the board of supervisors of a county or counties affected by a vacancy in the office of United States Representative in Congress, State Senator, or Member of the Assembly, if certified by the Secretary of State, to make a determination to fill the vacancy using an optional, prescribed instant runoff voting method, except that if 2 or more counties are affected, all affected counties would have to agree to use the instant runoff voting method.