Article 4. Qualification Of Groups Of Candidates For Delegate Selection Portion Of Primary Ballot of California Elections Code >> Division 6. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 4.

Any three or more voters of the state who are registered as intending to affiliate with the American Independent Party may join as a committee in proposing the nomination of a group of candidates for delegates. The committee may elect its officers, select the candidates for delegates, select the chairman of the committee, secure the endorsement of the person, if any, preferred by the committee as candidate for presidential nominee, appoint alternates, assemble and file all necessary papers, and take all other action which may be necessary for the organization and election of the group. The committee in performing its functions may act through its officers or designated representatives.

The committee, on or before the 104th day before the presidential primary election, shall file with the Secretary of State a statement containing the name of the committee and the names of its officers.

The number of candidates for delegates grouped on a nomination paper shall be equal to the total number of delegates to be elected by the party.

The candidates of each group shall be selected as follows:
  (a) No less than two-thirds shall be selected to represent congressional districts, and each of these candidates shall be a resident of the district which he or she is selected to represent. Congressional district candidates shall be apportioned among congressional districts according to the ratio which the American Independent Party registration in the district bears to the total statewide registration of the party as determined by the Secretary of State on January 1 of the year in which the presidential primary is held, except that at least one candidate in the group shall be a resident of each congressional district.
  (b) No more than one-third may be selected from the state at large without regard to congressional district of residence. If the names are not so selected, the names shall not be certified to the county elections official by the Secretary of State.

The number of alternates to be selected shall be no greater than one for each delegate, and the alternates shall be selected in the manner prescribed by Section 6563.

Each group of candidates for delegates that intends to pledge itself to the candidacy of a particular candidate for presidential nominee shall have the endorsement of the candidate for presidential nominee for whom the members of the group have filed a preference. The endorsement of the candidate for presidential nominee shall be filed with the Secretary of State before the circulation of any nomination papers of a group of candidates pledged to the support of his or her candidacy as presidential nominee.

Any candidate whose nomination paper is filed in more than one group is disqualified from running as a member of any group.

Each candidate for delegate to the American Independent Party convention shall file with the Secretary of State, before the circulation of nomination papers of the group of candidates of which he or she is a member, an affidavit which shall be in substantially the following form: AFFIDAVIT OF CANDIDATE FOR DELEGATE

State of ) California ) ss. County of _______

I, ____, reside at No. ____ Street, in the City (or Town) of ____, in the County of ____ in the ____ Congressional District, State of California; my election precinct is ____ and I reside and am a voter therein, my post office address is ____, County of ____. I desire to be a candidate, at the presidential primary to be held on the ____ day of ____, 19__, for delegate to the next national convention of the American Independent Party, and if elected as delegate I will qualify. I personally prefer ____ as nominee of the American Independent Party for President of the United States, and hereby declare to the voters of my party in the State of California that if elected as delegate to their national party convention, I shall to the best of my judgment and ability, support ____ as nominee of the American Independent Party for president of the United States. (This statement of preference shall be omitted where the candidate for delegate is part of a group not expressing a preference for a particular candidate.) I express no preference for a particular candidate. The chairman of my group is ____. (This statement shall be omitted where the candidate for delegate is part of a group expressing a preference for a particular candidate.) I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

(Signed) _________________________________________________________

Nomination papers for candidates for delegates shall be signed by voters registered as affiliated with the American Independent Party equal in number to not less than 1 percent of the number of persons registered as members of the American Independent Party as reflected in the report of registration issued by the Secretary of State on the 135th day preceding the presidential primary election.