SECTIONS 8700 - California Statutes

ELECTIONS CODE

SECTION 8700

8700. (a) FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES; BALLOT ACCESS.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of State,
or other elections official authorized by law, shall not accept or
verify the signatures on any nomination paper for any person, nor
shall he or she certify or place on the list of certified candidates,
nor print or cause to be printed on any ballot, ballot pamphlet,
sample ballot, or ballot label the name of any person, who does
either of the following:
(1) Seeks to become a candidate for a seat in the United States
House of Representatives, and who, by the end of the then current
term of office will have served, or but for resignation would have
served, as a member of the United States House of Representatives
representing any portion or district of the State of California
during six or more of the previous eleven years;
(2) Seeks to become a candidate for a seat in the United States
Senate, and who, by the end of the then current term of office will
have served, or but for resignation would have served, as a member of
the United States Senate representing the State of California during
twelve or more of the previous seventeen years.
(b) "WRITE-IN" CANDIDACIES. Nothing in this section shall be
construed as preventing or prohibiting any qualified voter of this
state from casting a ballot for any person by writing the name of
that person on the ballot, or from having such a ballot counted or
tabulated, nor shall any provision of this section be construed as
preventing or prohibiting any person from standing or campaigning for
any elective office by means of a "write-in" campaign.
(c) CONSTRUCTION. Nothing in this section shall be construed as
preventing or prohibiting the name of any person from appearing on
the ballot at any direct primary or general election unless that
person is specifically prohibited from doing so by the provisions of
subdivision (a), and to that end, the provisions of subdivision (a)
shall be strictly construed.