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California law allows candidates running for a federal or state office to have a candidate statement included in the state Voter Information Guide, on the Secretary of State website, or in certain cases, in the county Voter Information Guide, depending on the office.

Some candidates must accept campaign finance spending limits in order to purchase space for a candidate statement, as outlined below.

For more information, please contact the Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 or by email at [email protected].

Statewide Constitutional Candidates

Candidates running for statewide constitutional office may purchase space for a 250-word statement in the state Voter Information Guide. The statement may not make any reference to any opponent of the candidate (Government Code section 85601(a)). The statement shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications.

The candidate statement must be filed and received by the Secretary of State’s Elections Division no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The candidate statement and accompanying forms may also be submitted via email or fax before the deadline. Candidate statements and accompanying forms may be scanned and emailed to [email protected] or faxed to (916) 653-3214 by the deadline.

The original copies of the signed forms must be received at the Secretary of State Elections Division within 72 hours of submittal.

For more information, please contact the Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 or by email at [email protected].

United States House of Representatives Candidates

Candidates running for the United States House of Representatives may purchase space for a 250-word statement in the county Voter Information Guide of the county or counties in their jurisdiction.  The statement may not make any reference to any opponent of the candidate (Elections Code section 13307.5). 

Legislative Candidates

State Senate and Assembly candidates, who choose to keep their campaign spending under specified dollar limits, may purchase space in the county Voter Information Guide for a 250-word candidate statement (Government Code section 85601(c)).

For additional information, please contact your county elections official.

Proposition 34 Candidate Statement Provisions

Proposition 34 established voluntary spending limits for candidates running for statewide office, the State Senate, and the State Assembly. Candidates who choose to accept the spending limits are able to purchase space for a 250-word candidate statement in either the state Voter Information Guide or in the county Voter Information Guide, depending on the office. For a list of candidates who filed a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501) to run for statewide office, State Senate, and State Assembly, visit https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Candidates/.

To accept the spending limits, candidates running for statewide office or state Senate or state Assembly, must file a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501) with the Secretary of State's Political Reform Division indicating whether they intend to abide by the spending limits prior to submitting a candidate statement. The following voluntary expenditure ceilings are effective for elections held between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026. (Regulation 18545)

This chart identifies where a candidate can place a
statement and the Proposition 34 spending limits for that office (if applicable).
    Prop. 34 Voluntary
Expenditure Limit
(Effective January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026)
 
Office 250-word
Candidate Statement Location
Primary/Special Election General/Special Runoff Election
President and
Vice President
of the United States
Secretary of
State Website
N/A N/A
United States Senate State Voter
Information Guide
N/A N/A
United States Representative County Voter
Information Guide
N/A N/A
Governor State Voter
Information Guide
$11,767,000 $19,611,000
Lieutenant Governor State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Secretary of State State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Controller State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Treasurer State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Attorney General State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Insurance Commissioner State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Superintendent
of Public Instruction
State Voter
Information Guide
$7,844,000 $11,767,000
Member, State
Board of Equalization
State Voter
Information Guide
$1,961,000 $2,942,000
State Senator County Voter
Information Guide
$1,177,000 $1,765,000
Member of the State Assembly County Voter
Information Guide
$784,000 $1,373,000