CA Presidential Ballot Access
California Presidential Ballot Access Requirements
State-level general-election presidential ballot access requirements for California, including party nomination, petition access, and write-in rules where available in the NASS summary.
Party Nomination
Political Party Nomination
A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. Each political party qualified to participate in the election must notify the Secretary of State of the names of that party’s nominees for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States no later than 75 days before the election. If a qualified political party has not held its national convention by this day, the party must notify the Secretary of State of the names of the party’s apparent nominees for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States. A qualified political party generally must certify to the secretary of state no later than October 1st the names of the presidential electors. A qualified political party is a political party that received for any of its candidates for statewide office at the last preceding gubernatorial election at least 2% of the entire vote statewide. A group may also qualify as a political party if on or before the 123rd day before a presidential election a number of registered voters equal to at least 0.33% of the total number of registered voters have declared their preference for that party; or, if it files with the secretary of state no later than 135 days prior to the presidential election a petition signed by the number of voters equal to at least 10% of the entire vote of the state at the last gubernatorial election.
Petition Access
Petition / Independent Candidate Access
An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with county election officials no later than 88 days before the election a declaration of candidacy for each of the presidential electors and nomination papers signed by the number of voters equal to at least 1% of the entire number of registered voters in the state. The nomination papers must include the name of the presidential electors, and may include the name of the candidates for president and vice-president.
Write-In
Write-In Rules
A write-in candidate for president must have each of the presidential electors file a declaration of write-in candidacy with the secretary of state no later than 14 days before the election. The declaration of write-in candidacy must include the names of the candidates for President and Vice President.
Legal Citations
Source Citations
- California Elections Code Ann. §§ 338, 5151, 6901, 7100, 7300, 8303, 8400, 8403, 8650, 8651, 8652
Source and Use
How to Read This Ballot Access Data
This reference is generated from NASS Summary: State Laws Regarding Presidential Ballot Access for the General Election.
- Primary source
- NASS ballot access summary PDF
- Coverage
- General-election presidential ballot access requirements by state, as summarized by NASS.
- Use note
- Informational reference only; verify current law with the state election office, current statutes, and legal counsel.
- These entries summarize general-election presidential ballot access rules for political party nominees, petition candidates, fee access where listed, and write-in candidacies.
- Ballot access law can change through statutes, court decisions, and state election guidance. Verify requirements with the state election office before relying on them.
- This reference does not state whether any candidate has qualified for a state ballot.
- This page is informational and is not legal advice or a filing procedure guide.