California · Elections Code

ELEC §15646: (a) Upon the Governor or Secretary of State ordering a recount pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 15645, the Secretary of State shall notify the elections official of each county and shall direct

What this law says, in plain English

The Governor or Secretary of State may order a recount, and when they do, the Secretary of State must notify county elections officials and direct them to proceed.

Read the full statutory text
(a) Upon the Governor or Secretary of State ordering a recount pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 15645, the Secretary of State shall notify the elections official of each county and shall direct the county elections officials to recount all the votes cast for the office or for and against the state ballot measure. (b) (1) While conducting a recount pursuant to Section 15645, a county elections official shall also review ballots rejected pursuant to Section 15154 to ensure that no ballots were improperly discarded during the initial canvass. (2) The process of reviewing rejected ballots pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be open to members of the public, including persons associated with a campaign or measure. (c) The elections official in each county shall complete a recount pursuant to this section as follows: (1) In a primary election, by three business days before the Secretary of State issues the certified list of candidates for the associated general election pursuant to Section 8148. (2) In a general election, within 60 days of the Governor or Secretary of State ordering the recount.

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