(a) (1) Nomination papers shall be prepared, circulated, signed, and delivered to the county elections official for examination no earlier than 148 days before the election and no later than 5 p.m. 88 days before the election.

(2) For offices for which no filing fee is required, nomination papers shall be prepared, circulated, signed, and delivered to the county elections official for examination no earlier than 193 days before the election and no later than 5 p.m. 88 days before the election.

(b) All nomination documents that are required to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State shall, within 24 days after being left with the county elections official in compliance with paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a), be forwarded by the county elections official to the Secretary of State, who shall receive and file them.

(c) If the total number of signatures submitted to a county elections official for an office entirely within that county does not equal the number of signatures needed to qualify the candidate, the county elections official shall declare the petition void and is not required to verify the signatures. If the district falls within two or more counties, the county elections official shall within two working days report in writing to the Secretary of State the total number of signatures submitted.

(d) If the Secretary of State finds that the total number of signatures submitted in the district or state is less than the minimum number required to qualify the candidate he or she shall within one working day notify in writing the counties involved that they need not verify the signatures.

(Enacted by Stats. 1994, Ch. 920, Sec. 2.)