July 15, 2026 - Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on July 14, 2026. 

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows: 

REPEALS “TOP TWO” OPEN PRIMARY ELECTION PROCESS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Repeals law adopted by voters in 2010 that: (1) allows voters to vote in primary elections for any candidate for congressional and state elective office, regardless of the voter’s party affiliation, and (2) advances to the General Election the two candidates receiving the most votes, regardless of their political party (e.g., two Democrats or two Republicans could advance if they receive most votes). Requires Legislature to establish new process for primary elections for congressional and state offices, whereby each party’s candidate who receives the most votes would advance to the General Election. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown, but likely increased state and local government costs to administer elections. (26-0004.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2022 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 26-0004. 

The proponent of the measure, Steven Maviglio, must collect signatures of 874,641 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than January 11, 2027. The proponent may be contacted at steven.maviglio@gmail.com. 

Source: CA. SoS