The Orange County Registrar of Voters offers candidates a portal to start the Candidate Filing process, download many of the required documents, and return some of the documents to the Registrar of Voters’ office. Candidate Filing cannot be totally completed online due to California State law, but we have worked hard to make your filing process simpler and easier to understand.
Refer to the "What's on the Ballot" section of our website for this information.
There is a candidate log on our website which is updated daily or you can call the Registrar of Voters’ office at 714-567-7600.
The general qualifications for all candidates are:
- Must be18 years old by election;
- Must be a citizen of the state;
- Must be a registered voter at the time nomination papers are issued, and, unless otherwise specifically provided, qualified to vote for the office;
- Must be eligible to take the Oath of Office and be able to be bonded in the amounts provided for by statue; and
- Must not have been convicted of designated crimes specified in the Constitution and laws of the State.
Residency requirements are dependent upon the contest. For United States Representative, you do not need to reside in the district to be a candidate. For State Assembly, State Senate, County Board of Education, County Central Committee, and Green Party County Council, you need to reside in the district at the time Nomination Papers are issued. For County offices other than Board of supervisors, you must reside in the county. For County Board of Supervisors, you must be registered in the district for at least 30 days preceding the deadline for filing nomination documents for the office. For Judge of the Superior Court, you do not need to reside in Orange County.
Refer to the election calendar that is available on the Registrar of Voters' website, in the Candidate's Handbook, and through the Online Candidate Filing system.
Information on Candidate Filing is available on the Registrar of Voters’ Running for Office section on our website, in the Candidate’s Handbook and through the Online Candidate Filing system.
Online Candidate Filing is a web-based system that requires a modern web browser, Internet connection, and the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Yes. Throughout the system, the candidate is given instructions on how to file each document, including whether it can be filed online or must be completed at the Registrar of Voters’ office. In addition, the system tells the candidate whether the document is mandatory or optional for the candidate to file.
The procedure for Online Candidate Filing is easy to follow. All steps are outlined on a “Candidate’s Dashboard”. The Candidate uses this dashboard to navigate through the system. There are instructions for each step which the candidate must read before continuing through the process to ensure that he/she understands exactly what must be done.
Usually, by clicking on the “X” in the upper right-hand corner will solve your problem. Many times, there is information on how to proceed contained in the last document you read or an icon at the bottom of the page.
For most offices, there is a Filing Fee that must be paid in order to obtain Nomination Papers. There is no Filing Fee required for Member of the County Board of Education, Member of the County Central Committee, Member of the Green Party County Council, Board Member of a local school district, and Director of a special district board.
The Filing Fee must be paid before Nomination Papers can be issued. However, if you collected enough signatures on the Signatures-In-Lieu of Filing Fee Petitions to satisfy the nomination signature requirement, then you will not need to circulate Nomination Papers; in this case, the Filing Fee must be paid before you complete your Declaration of Candidacy.
Yes, you may pay your Filing Fee online if you pay by credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Yes, you will receive a receipt immediately from the vendor and a receipt from the Registrar of Voters upon confirmation that you paid the Filing Fee by credit card.
You may not withdraw your candidacy after you have completed the filing process for a Primary Election. You may not receive a refund of the Filing Fee.
No. The Filing Fee is non-refundable.
Nomination signatures are required for all offices except Board Member of a school district and Director of a special district board.
The number of signatures required is:
- United States Senator: 65-100.
- Representative in Congress, State Senate and State Assembly: 40-60.
- Judge of the Superior Court, County Board of Education, County Board of Supervisors and County Offices: 20-40.
- Refer to the Candidate's Handbook for number of signatures required for a Member of a political party County Central Committee and Green Party County Council. The Candidate's Handbook is available on the Registrar of Voters' website.
Yes. It is not required to file all nomination signatures at the same time.
It depends on the office: The voter does not need to be registered with your political party unless they are signing Nomination Papers for County Central Committee Members and Green Party County Council Members. For these papers, the signers must be affiliated with the same political party as the candidate.
Yes.
You may download the Nomination Petition online if you are using the Online Candidate Filing system. However, after you circulate the petition, you must file it at the Registrar of Voters’ office, 1300 S. Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, CA 92705.
A ballot designation is a description of no more than three words of your principal profession, vocation or occupation. A ballot designation may also be a current elected position title (no word limitation), the word “Incumbent”, or if appointed, the words “Appointed Incumbent”. You may access the Candidate Handbook to review the Ballot Designation Guidelines.
That information may be found in the Candidate’s Handbook by going to ocvote.gov or by visiting/calling the Registrar of Voters’ office at 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, CA; 714-567-7600.
You may download a Ballot Designation Worksheet, complete it at your leisure, and then bring it to the Registrar of Voters’ office when you file your Declaration of Candidacy.
Yes, but only until the close of Candidate Filing. A new Ballot Designation Worksheet must be completed.
Yes. A written request must be submitted at lease 98 days prior to the General Election. A new Ballot Designation Worksheet must be completed.
Yes. After Candidate Filing ends, there is a 10-day public review period in which you can challenge the Ballot Designation in Superior Court.
Forms can be obtained from the Registrar of Voters' office, 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, CA 92705; downloaded from the Fair Political Practices Commission’s website (www.fppc.ca.gov); or if you would like a packet of forms mailed to you, call our office at 714-567-7558.
Yes, if you are using the Online Candidate Filing system, you may download the 700 Form, complete it at your leisure, and file it with the Registrar of Voters’ office when you file your Declaration of Candidacy.
Yes, if you are using the Online Candidate Filing system, you may download the Code of Campaign Practices, sign it at your leisure, and file it with the Registrar of Voters’ office when you file your Declaration of Candidacy.
A Candidate’s Statement is a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications, and makes no reference to another candidate’s qualifications, character, or activities.
Yes. You may have a Candidate’s Statement printed in the County Voter Information Guide if you are a candidate for United States Representative, State Assembly, State Senate, County Board of Supervisors, County Offices, County Board of Education, Judge of the Superior Court, Board Member of a local school district, and Director of a special district. If you are running for United States Senator or a State Constitutional office, you will need to file your Candidate’s Statement with the Secretary of State’s office.
Yes. You may draft your Candidate’s Statement online if you are using the Online Candidate’s Filing system. This will save you time as you will not need to wait while the statement is being formatted. However, you must come to the Registrar of Voters’ office to sign the statement. The statement is not official and will not be printed in the County Voter Information Guide until you have signed the statement.
You will need to refer to the Candidate’s Handbook or contact the Registrar of Voters’ office at 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, CA; 714-567-7600 for the estimated cost of your statement. The cost of Candidates’ Statements varies depending on the contest.
The Candidate’s Statement deposit amount is based on estimates of the Voter Information Guide printing costs, translations costs, labor, and overhead. The deposit makes the following assumptions: (1) Two 200-word Candidates’ Statements for each race; (2) The same number of pages in the Voter Information Guide as a similar, previous election; and (3) The number of Voter Information Guides printed is equal to 125% of the number of registered voters, plus an additional few Voter Information Guides per language per precinct.
The Elections Code allows the Registrar of Voters to require each candidate filing a statement to pay in advance his/her estimated pro rata share as a condition of having his/her statement included in the Voter Information Guide. Since the candidate is paying based on an estimate, candidates will be billed for any additional amount of the actual cost or refunded if the deposit exceeds the actual cost within 30 days of election.
The intent of the Candidate’s Statement charges is to determine the actual cost of putting the Candidate’s Statement in the Voter Information Guide. The actual costs are calculated based on labor and overhead; the cost to translate into Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese; and the cost to print the Candidate’s Statement in the Voter Information Guide.
The biggest impact on the actual cost of the Candidate’s Statement is from the number and type of Candidates’ Statements actually submitted. Up to four 200-word Candidates’ Statements (or the equivalent) can share one page in the Voter Information Guide. One 200-word Candidate’s Statement will pay the cost of the entire page, whereas four 200-word Candidates’ Statements will each pay only 25% of the entire page.
Yes, if you are using the Online Candidate Filing system you may pay online by credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Yes, you will receive a receipt from the vendor and a receipt from the Registrar of Voters’ office after confirmation of your payment by credit card is received.
No. You may not include any of those elements in your statement. In addition, you may not make reference to another candidate’s qualifications, character, or activities.
No. You will need to file the Candidate’s Statement with each county and pay the fee to each county in which you would like your statement to appear in the Voter Information Guide.
The number of words varies depending on the contest:
- United States Representative: 250 words;
- State Senate and State Assembly: 250 words;
- County and Judicial offices: 200 or 400 words; and
- Board Member of a local school district and Director of a special district: 200 words (may do a 400-word statement if the district authorizes).
Yes. You may challenge someone’s Candidate’s Statement during the Nomination/Declaration of Candidacy period. To do so, you must submit a written statement outlining the reasons for the challenge to the Registrar of Voters. After Candidate Filing ends, there is a 10-day public review period in which you can challenge the Candidate’s Statement in Superior Court.
Yes, but you must re-submit the statement or submit a new Candidate’s Statement during the filing period for the General Election. In either case, you must pay a deposit. The deposit will be the same as paid in the Primary Election.
No. State law prohibits the issuance or filing of the Declaration of Candidacy online. You must come to the Registrar of Voters’ office at 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, CA 92705 by the filing deadline.
You may complete a Letter of Authorization to allow another individual to pick-up and/or file your Declaration of Candidacy. If you will not be filing, in person, your Declaration of Candidacy, the document must be notarized. If you are using the Online Candidate Filing system, you may download the Letter of Authorization form. It must be presented to Registrar of Voters’ staff to be issued the Declaration of Candidacy.
If the incumbent does not file for re-election but is eligible to file, the contest will be extended for five days after the filing period has closed for any candidate other than the incumbent.