Candidates: nomination documents.

Existing law requires a candidate for elective office to pay a prescribed filing fee or to submit, at least 15 days before the close of the nomination period, a petition containing signatures of registered voters in lieu of the filing fee. Existing law requires the Secretary of State or an elections official to make forms for securing signatures available 45 days before the first day for circulating nomination papers. Existing law requires the elections official, within 10 days after receiving the in-lieu-filing-fee petition, to notify a candidate of any deficiency with the petition. If a deficiency is found, existing law requires the candidate to either submit a supplemental in-lieu-filing-fee petition or pay a pro rata portion of the filing fee to cover the deficiency. This bill would instead require a candidate to file an in-lieu-filing-fee petition at least 30 days before the close of the nomination period. The bill would decrease the number of required signatures on an in-lieu-filing-fee petition, as specified. The bill would also strike the authorization for a candidate to submit a supplemental petition to cover any deficiency, and it would instead only permit the candidate to pay a pro rata portion of the filing fee. The bill would require that the forms for securing signatures be made available 60 days before the first day for circulating nomination papers and would make a conforming change. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.