California · Elections Code

ELEC §16440: This article applies only to contests on the grounds that: (a) The defendant is not eligible to the office in dispute.

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute defines grounds for contesting an election, including candidate ineligibility, franchise violations, or improper votes that affected the outcome.

Read the full statutory text

This article applies only to contests on the grounds that: (a) The defendant is not eligible to the office in dispute. (b) The defendant has committed any offense against the elective franchise as defined in Division 18 (commencing with Section 18000). (c) A sufficient number of votes were illegal, fraudulent, forged, or otherwise improper, and that had those votes not been counted the defendant would not have received as many votes as the contestant.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.