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Registrar of Voters
Registrar of Voters

November General Election Runoff Candidates

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A RUNOFF CANDIDATE AT A NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION?

Voter-nominated Offices: The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act requires that all candidates for a voter-nominated office be listed on the same ballot. Voter-nominated offices include U.S. Representative in Congress, State Senate, State Assembly, and Statewide offices (judicial offices). In both primary and general elections, voters may vote for any candidate regardless of what party preference they indicated on their voter registration form. In the primary election, the two candidates receiving the most votes - regardless of party preference - move on to the general election. The top-two primary law does not affect elections for U.S. President, county central committees, or local offices.

Board of Supervisor Offices: Pursuant to Article II, Section 202 of the County Charter, a candidate is elected who receives a majority of all votes cast at the primary election. When no candidate is so elected, the two candidates who received the highest number of votes shall be the candidates at the November general election.

City Offices: For information on City of San Jose runoff candidates, please contact the City Clerk's office at (408) 535-1260 / [email protected]. 

NOVEMBER 5, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION INFORMATION
LIST OF RUNOFF CANDIDATES                                                                                                                         
Ballot Designation Changes Due5:00 p.m. on July 30, 2024
New Candidate Statement of Qualifications Due5:00 p.m. on August 9, 2024

BALLOT DESIGNATION CHANGE INSTRUCTIONS
If you are a runoff candidate for a voter-nominated or nonpartisan office, your name will appear on the ballot at a November general election. If you wish to change the ballot designation that will appear under your name, Elections Code section 13107(h) requires a written request be submitted no later than the 98th day prior to the general election. For your reference in determining a change, please refer to the List of Runoff Candidates linked above for an upcoming November general election.

All requests for a new ballot designation must be accompanied by a completed Candidate Information Request Form, Character-Based Name Form (voter-nominated write-in offices only), Preferred Transliteration Form (nonpartisan offices only), and a Ballot Designation Worksheet. The County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters (ROV) must receive your request for a new ballot designation no later than the deadline noted above for an upcoming November general election.

Please be aware that your March primary election ballot designation WILL rollover to the November general election ballot unless you request a change and the ROV receives your change by the deadline noted above.

NEW CANDIDATE STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS INSTRUCTIONS
If you are a runoff candidate for a voter-nominated or nonpartisan office, and wish to submit a new candidate statement to appear in the November general election County Voter Information Guide (CVIG), the County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters (ROV) must receive your typed statement and payment by deadline noted above for an upcoming November general election, 88 days prior to the general election. Please refer to the Candidate Statement Guidelines and Estimated Costs for voter-nominated offices or nonpartisan offices. 

All requests for a new candidate statement must be accompanied by a completed Candidate Information Request Form, Candidate Statement of Qualifications Form (with appended typed statement), and if applicable, an optional Request for Vietnamese Name Accents Form. No statement will appear in the November general election CVIG unless a new statement and payment are submitted to our office by the deadline date noted above for an upcoming November election. 

RESOURCE: Rules for Counting Words on Candidate Statements

PLEASE NOTE: If you filed a candidate statement for the March primary election, you cannot make changes to this statement. Rather, you must submit a new statement and make payment of the estimated deposit to have it appear in the November general election CVIG. Please keep in mind that your March primary election candidate statement WILL NOT rollover and be printed in the November general election CVIG.

FORMS RESOURCES / DESCRIPTIONS

CIRF
GENERAL FORM

Candidate Information Request Form (Required Form)

A nonpartisan, statewide, or voter-nominated runoff candidate would file a Candidate Information Request Form ("Form") with their ballot designation worksheet or candidate statement of qualifications form, and any other optional forms. The Form, when submitted, will ensure the Office of the Registrar of Voters has sufficient contact and office information to start the process of filing the candidate's forms. This is a required form submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

DOWNLOAD FORM
BDW
BALLOT DESIGNATION CHANGE FORM

Ballot Designation Worksheet (Required Form)

A nonpartisan, statewide, or voter-nominated runoff candidate would file the Ballot Designation Worksheet ("Worksheet") when desiring to change their ballot designation that was used in the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election. The Worksheet is used to facilitate a review of the candidate's proposed and alternate ballot designations. The Worksheet may go through several reviews before determining if the proposed and alternate designations comply with Elections Code section 13107 and California Administrative Code section 20712. This is a required Worksheet submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

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Character Based Name Form
STATEWIDE AND VOTER-NOMINATED OFFICES ONLY

Character-Based Name Form (Optional Form)

A statewide or voter-nominated write-in runoff candidate would file the Character-Based Name Form ("Form") when desiring to use a character-based name given by birth, and printed in the county voter information and state voter information guides. This is an optional Form submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

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Preferred Transliteration Form
NONPARTISAN OFFICES ONLY

Preferred Transliteration Form (Optional Form)

A nonpartisan runoff candidate would file the Preferred Transliteration Form ("Form") when their name has accents or other diacritical marks in an alphabet-based language and wish to include those as part of their name on the official ballot and in county voter information guide. This is an optional Form submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

DOWNLOAD FORM
Candidate Statement of Qualifications Form
NEW CANDIDATE STATEMENT FORM

Candidate Statement of Qualifications Form (Required Form)

A nonpartisan, statewide, or voter-nominated runoff candidate would use the Candidate Statement of Qualifications Form ("Form") who wish to include a new candidate statement in the county voter information guide. Payment is due at time the form is filed at the Office of the Registrar of Voters. This is a required form submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

DOWNLOAD FORM
Rules for Counting Words Image
CANDIDATE STATEMENT RULES

Rules for Counting Words (Reference Document Only)

A nonpartisan, statewide, or voter-nominated runoff candidate submitting a new candidate statement to be included in the County Voter Information Guide (CVIG) should refer to the "Rules for Counting Words" to ensure their statement is properly formatted prior to filing at the Office of the Registrar of Voters. Improper grammar, typos, or other mistakes will not be fixed prior to printing in the CVIG.

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Request for Vietnamese Name Accents Form
VIETNAMESE NAME ACCENTS FORM

Request for Vietnamese Name Accents Form (Optional Form)

A nonpartisan, statewide, or voter-nominated runoff candidate would file the Request for Vietnamese Name Accents Form ("Form") who are placing a new candidate statement in the county voter information guide and who would like to have accents put on their Vietnamese name in the Vietnamese version of the county voter information guide. This is an optional Form submitted by the candidate or someone authorized by the candidate.

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