The California petition process lets registered voters propose new laws, overturn recently enacted legislation, or remove an elected official by drafting a measure, obtaining an official title and summary, collecting a set number of valid voter signatures within a fixed window, and filing those signatures with county elections officials for verification. The specific rules, deadlines, and signature counts depend on which of the three petition types you are running.
Pick the Right Type of Petition
California recognizes three. An initiative lets voters propose a new state statute or an amendment to the state constitution and send it straight to the ballot, bypassing the Legislature. A referendum lets voters approve or reject a law the Governor recently signed; filing a referendum petition suspends the targeted law until the next election. A recall removes an elected official before their term ends, and no allegation of wrongdoing is required to launch one.
The choice matters because the signature math, the deadlines, and the follow-on legal effects all differ. An initiative statute is harder for the Legislature to touch later. A referendum is extraordinarily tight on time. A recall carries its own geographic distribution rule.
Drafting, Filing Fee, and the Title and Summary
An initiative starts with the full text of the proposed law or constitutional amendment. Proponents submit the text to the Attorney General along with a $2,000 filing fee, which is refunded only if the measure qualifies for the ballot.1California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ballot Initiatives The Attorney General sends the proposal to the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office for a fiscal impact estimate covering effects on state and local budgets.
After receiving that estimate, the Attorney General has 15 days to prepare an official circulating title and summary of no more than 100 words.2California Legislative Information. California Elections Code ELEC 9004 The date that title and summary is delivered is the “official summary date,” and it starts the signature-collection clock. The title and summary must appear on every petition section circulated to voters.
How Many Signatures You Need
Every threshold is tied to the total votes cast for Governor in the most recent gubernatorial election.
- Initiative statute or referendum: signatures from registered voters equal to 5% of the last gubernatorial vote, currently about 546,000 valid signatures based on the 2022 election.3Justia Law. California Constitution Article II Section 8
- Constitutional amendment: signatures equal to 8% of that vote, currently about 874,000.3Justia Law. California Constitution Article II Section 8
- Statewide recall: signatures equal to 12% of the last vote for the office being targeted, gathered from at least five counties, with signatures in each of those counties equal to at least 1% of the last vote for the office there.4California Secretary of State. Procedures for Recalling State and Local Officials
These are counts of valid signatures after verification. Experienced campaigns collect 30% to 50% more raw signatures than the legal minimum to absorb duplicates, unregistered signers, and illegible entries.
How Long You Have to Collect Them
Initiative proponents get 180 days from the official summary date to gather signatures and file completed petition sections with county elections officials. The 180 days applies to both initiative statutes and constitutional amendments. Anything not filed by the deadline is worthless.
Referendums run on a far tighter clock. Proponents have 90 days from the date a bill is enacted to request the title and summary, print petitions, collect every signature, and file with counties.5California Secretary of State. Referendum That window covers the whole process, so a chunk of it is already gone by the time proponents receive the official title and summary. This is where most referendum attempts fail.
Rules for Circulators
Anyone who circulates a petition in California, paid or volunteer, must be at least 18 years old. Each circulator signs a declaration under penalty of perjury that they personally witnessed every signature on their petition section.6California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 104 Leaving petition sections unattended or letting people sign without the circulator present can void the signatures and expose the circulator to perjury charges.
It is a misdemeanor to offer money or anything else of value in exchange for a signature on an initiative, referendum, or recall petition.7California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 18603 Paying circulators for their time is legal; paying voters for signing is not. Circulators must disclose whether they are being paid if a prospective signer asks. Signatures collected cannot be used for any purpose other than qualifying the measure.
How Signatures Get Verified
Once petition sections are filed with county elections officials, verification runs in stages designed to avoid checking every signature unless necessary.
Counties first do a raw count and report the total to the Secretary of State. If the raw count falls short, the petition fails on the spot. If it meets or exceeds 100% of the requirement, the Secretary of State directs counties to run a random sample. Counties verify a random sample of at least 500 signatures or 3% of the total, whichever is greater, then project the likely number of valid signatures from the sample.8California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 9030
What happens next depends on the projection:
- Above 110% of the minimum: the petition qualifies without further checking.8California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 9030
- Below 95%: the petition is deemed to have failed.8California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 9030
- Between 95% and 110%: the Secretary of State orders a full signature-by-signature verification, and county officials have 60 working days to check every submitted signature against registration records.9California Legislative Information. California Elections Code 9031
The middle zone is where campaigns stall. Full verification adds months and introduces uncertainty. Landing cleanly above 110% on the random sample is the goal.
For a measure to appear on the next general election ballot, it must qualify at least 131 days before the election. The Secretary of State issues the certificate of qualification on the 131st day before the election date.3Justia Law. California Constitution Article II Section 8
Initiatives Can Only Cover One Subject
The state constitution bars initiative measures that address more than one subject. An initiative “embracing more than one subject may not be submitted to the electors or have any effect.”3Justia Law. California Constitution Article II Section 8 The rule prevents bundling a popular provision with an unpopular one.
Opponents can challenge a qualified measure in court on single-subject grounds before or after the election. Courts generally look at whether the provisions share a common theme or purpose, and the standard is relatively forgiving for measures that touch several areas of law in service of one goal. Drafting with the rule in mind is still essential. A measure that survives signature gathering can be killed in court before voters ever see it.
Pulling a Measure Back
Proponents sometimes use a qualified or near-qualified initiative as leverage to negotiate a legislative deal, and California law expressly allows withdrawal. Before petition sections are filed with county officials, all proponents can withdraw the measure by written notice to the Secretary of State.10California Legislative Information. California Elections Code ELEC 9604
Even after filing, a majority of proponents can withdraw the measure at any point before the Secretary of State certifies it for the ballot. Contingent withdrawal is also available: proponents can agree to pull the initiative only if the Legislature enacts a specific bill, and if that bill is signed and given a chapter number before certification, the withdrawal takes effect automatically.10California Legislative Information. California Elections Code ELEC 9604
What Happens After Voters Approve It
An initiative that passes with a simple majority takes effect on the fifth day after the Secretary of State certifies the election results, unless the measure itself specifies a different effective date.11California Secretary of State. Statewide Initiative Guide 2026 Many measures build in a delayed effective date so agencies can draft implementing regulations.
The Legislature generally cannot amend or repeal a voter-approved initiative statute unless the amendment is itself sent back to voters for approval. The only exception is when the initiative’s own text explicitly authorizes legislative changes without another election.12Justia Law. California Constitution Article II Section 10 Referendum results do not carry that protection; the Legislature can later amend or repeal referendum statutes like any other law. If you want a change that future legislators cannot easily undo, the initiative route is the stronger tool.