for the Office of United States Representative in Congress (52 Districts) for the November 7, 2000 General Election I. QUALIFICATIONS A candidate shall: A. Be at least 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for seven years, and a resi-dent of California when elected. U.S. Const. Art. I, §2 (Note: There are no district residency require-ments for Members of Congress.) B. Have a valid voter registration affidavit on file in the county of residence at the time nomination papers are obtained. Elections Code §201 C. Disqualifications A candidate is ineligible for nomination as an indepen-dent candidate if: 1. A nomination paper was filed on the candidate's behalf as a partisan candidate or a write-in can-didate at the March 7, 2000 Primary Election for any office, and the candidate was defeated for the party nomination at the primary election. §8301 2. At any time during the 13 months preceding the November 7, 2000 Gener-al Election, the candidate was registered as affiliated with any qualified political party. The last day a candidate may be affiliated with a quali-fied party is October 7, 1999 if desiring to run under the independent nomina-tion proce-dures in the 2000 General Election. §8550(f) For purposes of Section 8550, the seven qualified political parties are: American Independent, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Natural Law, Reform, and Republican. II. REQUIREMENTS A candidate must: A. FILING FEE OR SIGNATURES IN LIEU Filing Fee Candidates must pay a filing fee equal to 1% of the first year's salary. Currently, the filing fee for United States Representative in Congress is $1,367.00. The filing fee must be paid at the time the candidate obtains the nomination forms from the county elections official. §§8103 & 8105 or Signatures in Lieu Candidates may election to submit a minimum of 3,000 valid signatures on petitions in lieu of filing fee by July 27, 2000. §8106 1. Between April 28 and July 27, 2000, the petitions for in-lieu signatures may be obtained from the county elections official and circulated. Sections of petitions in lieu of filing fee shall be filed with the county elections official of the county in which the signers reside. §§8106 & 8302 2. The candidate may submit signatures to cover all or any prorat-ed portion of the filing fee. §8106(b)(3) 3. Any registered voter may sign an in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition for any candidate for whom he or she is eligible to vote. §8106(b)(1) 4. Each circulator of an in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition shall be a regis-tered voter of the district or political subdivision in which the candidate is running. The circulator shall serve within the county in which he or she resides. §8106 (b)(4) 5. Within 10 days after receipt of the petition, the county elections official shall notify the candidate of any deficiency. The candi-date shall then, prior to the close of the nomination period (August 11, 2000), either submit a supplemental petition or pay a pro rata portion of the filing fee to cover the deficiency. §8106 (b)(3) 6. Signatures in lieu of the filing fee may be counted toward the nomination sponsor signature requirements. §§8106(d) & 8405 B. NOMINATION DOCUMENTS 1. Between June 12 and August 11, 2000, obtain nomination documents from the county elections official. Nomination documents include a set of nomination papers for collecting signatures and a declaration of candidacy that must be executed by the candidate. §§333 & 8403 2. Upon request of a candidate, the county elections official shall provide the candidate with nomination documents. The county elections official shall not require a candidate to sign, file or sign and file a declaration of candidacy as a condition of receiving nomination papers. §8020(d) 3. Between June 12 and August 11, 2000, circulate nomination papers for signatures and leave them for ex-amination with the county elections official of the county in which the signers reside. §8403 4. Nomination Signatures Signatures in lieu of the filing fee may be counted toward the nomination sponsor signature requirements. §§8106(d) & 8405 a. The nomination papers must be signed by at least 3% of the regis-tered voters of the Congressional District as of the last registration report prior to the preceding general election. See Attachment 1 for the required number of signatures for each congressional district, based on the October 1998 Report of Registration. §8400 b. Signers must be registered voters in the district or political subdivision in which the candidate is running. §§100 & 8400 c. Any registered voter who is a candidate may obtain signatures to and sign his or her own nomination papers. §106(a) d. Appointment of nomination paper circulators. 1. If persons other than the candidate circulate nomination papers, the candidate must appoint such circulators to serve within the coun-ty in which they reside for the purpose of securing signatures to the candidate's nomination papers. §8450 2. Appointed circulators shall be voters registered in the Congressional district in which the candidate is to be voted on and shall serve only in that district. §8451 3. The candidate shall file the document evidencing the ap-point-ment of circulators with the county elections offi-cial on or before the date the nomination papers are left for exami-nation. §§8450, 8451 & 8453 e. By August 11, the nomination paper shall be delivered to the county elections official of the county in which the signer resides and is a voter. §§8063 & 8403 5. Declaration Of Candidacy Failure to properly file the declaration of candidacy will prevent the candidate's name from appearing on the ballot. a. The declaration of candidacy shall be obtained from, and delivered to, the county elections official of the county in which the candidate resides and is a voter. §8064 b. The county elections official shall require all candidates filing a declaration of candidacy to execute the declaration in his or her office unless the candidate, in a written statement signed and dated by the candidate, designates a third party to obtain the declaration form from the county elections official and to deliver it to the candidate. The written statement shall state that the candidate is aware that the declaration of candidacy must be properly executed and delivered not later than August 11, 2000 to the office of the county elections official from whom it was received. §8028 c. Between June 12 and August 11, 2000, file with the county elections official a declara-tion of candidacy which states the following: 1. The candidate's complete residence address; 2. That the candidate is a voter in the precinct in which he or she resides; 3. The name of the office sought; 4. That he or she will not withdraw as a candidate before the election; 5. That if elected, he or she will qualify for the office; 6. That at no time since October 7, 1999 has the candidate been registered in California as affiliated with a qualified political party (American Independent, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Natural Law, Reform, or Republican). §8550 III. GENERAL INFORMATION A. Each of the forms mentioned above is available free of charge from the county elections official. B. The California apportionment of the House of Representatives has a member-ship of 52 Representatives, elected for two-year terms. The term of office begins on January 3, 2001. C. Because of the requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act, As Amend-ed, a congressional candidate should contact the Federal Election Commission at 999 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20463 or call toll-free (800) 424-9530 for a copy of the Act, related regulations giving the filing requirements for reporting cam-paign contributions, and the forms on which to file. D. This Information Sheet of Qualifications and Requirements is for general informa-tion only and does not have the force and effect of law, regulation, or rule. In case of conflict, the law, regulation, or rule will apply. The candidate should obtain the most up-to-date information available because of possible changes in law or procedure since the publication of this information. 5/17/99 12:03 PM Independent Candidates for Congress Number of Signatures Required to Place Candidate on November 7, 2000 General Election Ballot
*Independent candidates for Congress need registered voter signatures equaling 3% of the previous general election's registration total in the district. |
