California's signature path to the ballot: Numbers, timelines and verification steps
Ballot initiatives in California require hundreds of thousands of signatures collected within a tight window. Here's how voters move a measure from draft to Election Day.
A California ballot initiative starts with a signature. To move a proposed law from a document to the November ballot, someone must gather hundreds of thousands of signatures from registered voters. The exact number depends on whether the measure would amend the state constitution or create a statute. For initiatives that alter the constitution, the bar is 874,641 valid signatures—8 percent of the votes cast for governor in 2022. For statute initiatives, 546,651 signatures are required, equaling 5 percent of those same votes.
The signature requirement shifts with population and voting turnout. Because it is pegged to the gubernatorial vote, the 874,641 and 546,651 figures hold steady for 2026. Once that bar is set, proponents enter a race against time to reach the finish line: at least 131 days before the general election. The total process from drafting to ballot placement typically takes around 12 months, with most of that time consumed by the signature collection and verification phases.
From draft to clearance: The Attorney General's review and public comment
Before any signatures can be gathered, a proposed initiative must be cleared by California's Attorney General. The process begins when proponents submit the full text of their measure, along with a filing fee, contact information and a certified statement that they are qualified electors. Upon receiving the submission, the Attorney General requests a fiscal impact estimate from the Legislative Analyst's Office, which assesses the measure's financial effects on state and local government budgets. This fiscal estimate becomes part of the public record.
The Attorney General then issues a public notice opening a 30-day review period. Any registered voter can submit comments on the proposed measure during this window. Proponents are allowed to revise the text based on feedback and suggestions—this is the only phase where they can substantially change the measure before it goes to voters. Some campaigns use this period to address concerns from stakeholder groups or refine language that testing shows confuses readers.
After the review period closes, the Attorney General drafts an official circulating title and summary that outlines "the chief purpose and points of a proposed initiative measure." This title and summary is what appears on the petition itself, not the full text of the measure. The Attorney General has 15 days after receiving the Legislative Analyst's fiscal estimate to send the final version to both the Secretary of State and the proponents. Once this happens—and only once—the 180-day signature-gathering window begins. The Secretary of State sets the precise circulation deadline within one day of receiving the Attorney General's cleared title and summary.
The 180-day race: How signatures are collected and submitted
Once cleared by the Attorney General, proponents must gather the required signatures within 180 consecutive days. This is often the most expensive and labor-intensive phase. Large campaigns hire professional signature-gathering firms to place circulators in high-traffic locations and conduct door-to-door canvassing. Smaller campaigns rely on volunteers. Some initiatives use online platforms that allow supporters to sign electronically, though the rules for electronic signatures are more restrictive than for handwritten ones.
Signers must be registered voters in California. Each signature must include the voter's printed name, their current address and the date they signed. Petitions often include statements explaining why the measure matters to voters and asking for their support. Proponents submit the collected signatures to county elections officials in the counties where the voters are registered, spreading the workload across the state's 58 counties.
Counties have 8 business days after the circulation deadline to count the signatures and report the totals to the Secretary of State. If no signatures are received by the 9th business day after the deadline, the measure automatically fails to qualify. Campaigns therefore submit signatures well before the deadline to ensure delivery. Some campaigns announce when they reach key milestones—such as 25 percent of the required signatures—to build momentum and attract media attention and additional supporters.
The 25 percent milestone: When the Legislature gets involved
California law requires a significant checkpoint when an initiative reaches 25 percent of the required signatures. Once proponents gather this threshold, they must immediately certify to the Secretary of State under penalty of perjury that they have done so. This certification triggers a required legislative review process.
The Secretary of State then distributes copies of the proposed measure and its title and summary to both the California Assembly and Senate. Each legislative chamber must assign the measure to appropriate committees and conduct joint public hearings on it, allowing legislators to hear from proponents, opponents and the public. This review must be completed at least 131 days before the general election. However, the Legislature cannot amend the proposed initiative measure or prevent it from appearing on the ballot. The hearings are informational and deliberative only—they cannot block or modify the initiative. This means proponents can continue gathering signatures even as legislators examine and potentially criticize their proposal.
Verification: Random samples and full counts
Once signatures are submitted, county officials conduct a random sample of the petitions to verify that each signature is valid. An official checks whether the signer is a registered voter in California and whether the signature appears genuine. The random sample methodology is standardized: county officials randomly select either 500 signatures or 3 percent of the signatures submitted, whichever is greater, according to Elections Code specifications referenced in source 7. In counties where 500 or fewer signatures were submitted, officials must inspect all the signatures for validity.
The sample determines the next step. County officials extrapolate from the sample to estimate the validity rate across all submitted signatures.
“The Legislature cannot amend the proposed initiative measure or prevent it from appearing on the ballot—the hearings are informational and deliberative only.”
The qualification deadline: 131 days before the election
The signature verification process can take several months, particularly if a full check is required. For this reason, the Secretary of State suggests deadlines for when proponents should submit their signatures. The Secretary of State recommends submission deadlines to ensure county officials have enough time to complete verification before the hard deadline. These are recommendations, not hard requirements, but proponents must respect a real deadline: their signatures must be verified at least 131 days before Election Day to appear on that ballot.
Signatures submitted after this 131-day threshold cannot be verified in time and the measure drops to the next general election. This timing constraint is why the Secretary of State's suggested deadlines exist: they give county officials enough time to run their random samples and, if necessary, complete full counts before the hard deadline passes. Missing either the submission deadline or the verification deadline means waiting two years for another chance at the ballot.
Counting measures that qualified for November 2026
By June 25, 2026, the Secretary of State had certified 14 measures for the November 3, 2026 general election: 5 placed by the Legislature and 9 through the initiative process. The 9 citizen-initiated measures were the result of thousands of volunteers and paid signature-gatherers spending months collecting petitions. Some gathered far more signatures than required.
Once an initiative qualifies, it appears on the general election ballot with the Attorney General's official title and summary, the fiscal estimate from the Legislative Analyst's Office and the full text of the measure. Voters receive those materials weeks before Election Day in their official voter guides and decide whether to vote yes or no. The initiative process gives California voters a direct way to propose laws without waiting for the Legislature—but the signature requirement and verification process remain the gatekeepers that determine whether a proposal reaches the ballot.
