California · Elections Code

ELEC §18350: (a) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor who, with intent to mislead the voters in connection with his or her campaign for nomination or election to a public office, or in connection with the campaign

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

A person commits a misdemeanor by intentionally misleading voters by falsely claiming to be a current public office holder or implying they have served as a public officer in connection with a campaign.

Read the full statutory text

(a) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor who, with intent to mislead the voters in connection with his or her campaign for nomination or election to a public office, or in connection with the campaign of another person for nomination or election to a public office, does either of the following acts: (1) Assumes, pretends, or implies, by his or her statements, conduct, or campaign materials, that he or she is the incumbent of a public office when that is not the case. (2) Assumes, pretends, or implies, by his or her statements, conduct, or campaign materials, that he or she is or has been acting in the capacity of a public officer when that is not the case. (b) A violation of this section may be enjoined in a civil action brought by a candidate for the public office involved.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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