California Rights to Preservation of Constitutional Government, Rule of Law, and Peaceful Transfer of Power Initiative (2026)
| California Rights to Preservation of Constitutional Government, Rule of Law, and Peaceful Transfer of Power Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Constitutional rights |
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| Status Cleared for signature gathering |
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| Type Initiated constitutional amendment |
Origin |
The California Rights to Preservation of Constitutional Government, Rule of Law, and Peaceful Transfer of Power Initiative (#25-0030) may appear on the ballot in California as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
The initiative would amend the California Constitution to establish the preservation of constitutional government, the rule of law, and the peaceful transfer of power as fundamental public rights in the state constitution. The initiative would also authorize state authorities, including the governor, attorney general, and state legislature, to seek judicial relief when a person or entity holds or exercises an office or power in contradiction to the federal or state constitution.[1][2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title is as follows:
| “ | Requires state response if President of the United States unlawfully retains office beyond two-term limit. Initiative constitutional amendment.[3] | ” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets is as follows:
| “ | Requires the State of California to sue to prevent a President of the United States from remaining in office after two terms in violation of the Twenty-Second Amendment (“No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice . . . .”). If a court decides that the President has unlawfully remained in office:
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Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in California
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
The requirements to get initiated constitutional amendments certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 874,641 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is June 25, 2026. However, the secretary of state suggested deadlines for turning in signatures of January 12, 2026, for initiatives needing a full check of signatures and April 17, 2026, for initiatives needing a random sample of signatures verified.
Stages of this ballot initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[2]
- October 30, 2025: The initiative was filed by Roberto Ramos.
- January 6, 2026: The initiative was cleared for signature gathering.
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in California.
Explore California's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Attorney General's Office, "Full text," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 California Secretary of State's Office, "List of petitions," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
