Primary elections: county officers: top two candidates.

Assembly Member Carrillo's elections reform measure would modify how California counties conduct primary and general elections for nonpartisan offices, establishing separate processes for county positions versus other nonpartisan roles. The legislation creates a mandatory top-two primary system for county offices, requiring the two candidates receiving the most votes to advance to the general election regardless of primary vote margins.

The bill aligns election timing with presidential election cycles, scheduling district attorney and sheriff races during presidential primaries. Other county officer elections would coincide with gubernatorial primaries, though county boards of supervisors could opt to hold them during presidential primaries instead. These timing requirements would apply to both general law and charter counties, except charter counties that specified different election schedules before January 1, 2021.

For races with two or fewer qualified candidates, the primary election would be canceled and candidates would proceed directly to the general election. The measure preserves write-in candidacy opportunities and maintains existing nomination processes for non-county positions like city offices and school districts. Counties would receive state reimbursement for any additional costs incurred from implementing the new requirements, as determined by the Commission on State Mandates.