If you want to run for office, you need to have registered voters sign your nomination papers as described in this section.

This law explains how candidates can use an in-lieu-filing-fee petition, which is a method that allows them to submit signatures instead of paying a filing fee to appear on the ballot. If the number of valid signatures on this petition meets the required amount under another section of the law, the candidate doesn't need to file additional nomination papers. However, if the petition doesn't have enough valid signatures, the candidate can submit more signatures through a nomination paper to make up the difference.

This law outlines how many registered voter signatures are needed on nomination papers for different political offices. For state offices like the U.S. Senate, you need between 65 and 100 signatures. For the House of Representatives, State Senate or Assembly, and more localized offices involving multiple counties, you need 40 to 60. For offices in a single county or local subdivision, you need 20 to 40. For political party committees with fewer than 50 voters, you need signatures from one-tenth of the voters. If there are fewer than 150 voters in a county or district, you need 10 to 20 signatures.

This rule is strict—you must meet these requirements for a valid nomination. However, you can still withdraw signatures or challenge rejected ones in court if you have proof that the voters were indeed eligible.

This law requires that nomination papers for an election be submitted to the elections official in the county where the signer lives and is registered to vote.

If you want to run for office, you need to get a form called the declaration of candidacy from your county's election official and return it there. This has to be done following certain rules in another law, Section 8028.

This law states that election officials must ensure all the blanks in a nomination certificate are completed before accepting it for filing.

This law specifies that individuals who gather signatures for a petition, known as circulators, must fulfill the criteria outlined in another section, Section 102.

This law states that when gathering signatures for a candidate's nomination, you should not collect more than the maximum number allowed. If you accidentally gather too many, the officer handling the nomination papers can remove the extra ones with the candidate's written consent.

If you're signing a petition for a candidate, you must be a voter in the area where the candidate is running. For positions affiliated with a political party, you need to have stated your preference for that party. However, for positions not tied to a specific party, your political preference doesn't matter.

This law says that when someone signs a nomination paper to support a candidate, they can't sign papers for other candidates running for the same position. If there are multiple spots available for the position, a person can only sign as many nomination papers as there are open spots.

This law requires the elections official to send the nomination documents for candidates seeking state office, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress, Member of the California Senate or Assembly, or State Board of Equalization to the Secretary of State.