Part 4. Withdrawal Of Candidates: Vacancies of California Elections Code >> Division 8. >> Part 4.

No candidate whose declaration of candidacy has been filed for any primary election may withdraw as a candidate at that primary election.

No candidate nominated at any primary election may withdraw as a candidate at the ensuing general election except those candidates permitted to withdraw by this part.

(a) No vacancy on the ballot for a nonpartisan office at a general election shall be filled except if the candidate dies and that fact has been ascertained by the officer charged with the duty of printing the ballots at least 68 days before the date of the next ensuing general election.
  (b) No vacancy on the ballot for a voter-nominated office at a general election shall be filled. If a candidate who is entitled to appear on the general election ballot dies, the name of that candidate shall appear on the general election ballot and any votes cast for that candidate shall be counted in determining the results of the election for that office. If the deceased candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for the office, he or she shall be considered elected to that office and the office shall be considered vacant at the beginning of the term for which the candidate was elected. The vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as if the candidate had died after taking office for that term.

Notwithstanding Sections 8803 and 8810, any candidate who has been nominated at any primary election for superior court judge in which election there were at least two other candidates and who, after the date prescribed for the filing of declaration of candidacy pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 8020) of Chapter 1 of Part 1, has been appointed to any federal or state office, may request the county elections official to have his or her name removed from the ballot of the next ensuing general election. If the request is received by the county elections official at least 68 days before the next ensuing general election, the county elections official shall remove the candidate's name from the ballot. If a candidate's name is removed from the ballot pursuant to this section, the two remaining candidates who received the highest number of votes cast on all the ballots of all the voters participating in the primary election for nomination for that office of superior court judge shall be the candidates for that office at the ensuing general election, and their names as candidates for that office shall be placed on the official ballot at the ensuing election.

(a) Whenever a candidate for nomination for a nonpartisan office at a primary election dies on or before the day of the election, and a sufficient number of ballots are marked as being voted for him or her to entitle him or her to nomination if he or she had lived until after the election, a vacancy exists on the general election ballot, which shall be filled in the manner provided in Section 8807 for filling a vacancy caused by the death of a candidate.
  (b) Whenever a candidate for nomination for a voter-nominated office at a primary election dies on or before the day of the election, and a sufficient number of ballots are marked as being voted for him or her to entitle him or her to nomination if he or she had lived until after the election, the name of the deceased candidate shall appear on the general election ballot and the general election shall proceed in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 8803.

If the vacancy occurs among candidates chosen at the direct primary to go on the ballot for the succeeding general election for a nonpartisan office, the name of that candidate receiving at the primary election the next highest number of votes shall appear on the ballot to fill the vacancy.

A vacancy authorized to be filled because of the death of a candidate shall be filled, and the name of the person named to fill the vacancy shall be certified to the officer charged with the duty of printing the ballots, 68 days before the day of election.

Whenever a candidate has declared a candidacy for a primary election, the candidate's name shall be printed upon the ballot for the primary election, unless the candidate has died, and that fact has been ascertained by the officer charged with the duty of printing the ballots, at least 68 days before the day of the election.

Whenever a candidate has been nominated at any primary election after having filed a declaration of candidacy, the name of the candidate shall be printed upon the ballot for the ensuing general election unless the candidate has died and that fact has been ascertained by the officer charged with the duty of printing the ballots, at least 68 days before the day of election.

Whenever, upon the death of any candidate, the vacancy created is filled by a party committee, a certificate to that effect shall be filed with the officer with whom a declaration of candidacy for that office may be filed, and, upon payment of the filing fee applicable to the office, shall be accepted and acted upon by that officer as in the case of an original declaration certificate.