Elections: write-in candidates.

Existing law generally prohibits requiring write-in candidates for office to pay a fee or charge. Existing law requires other candidates to pay a filing fee or to submit a petition containing signatures of registered voters in lieu of a filing fee, as specified. This bill would require write-in candidates for a voter-nominated office who advance to the general election to pay the prescribed filing fee in order to appear on the general election ballot. This bill would also permit a candidate who alleges to be indigent and unable to pay the requisite fee to submit a statement of financial worth to the Secretary of State for consideration. This bill would require the Secretary of State to furnish the statement of financial worth to a candidate within a prescribed period and to determine whether a candidate who has submitted the statement is in fact indigent. This bill would require a candidate found not to be indigent to pay the filing fee within a prescribed time. This bill would also specify that a candidate found to be indigent is not required to pay the fee to appear on the ballot.