(a) Applicability. This section governs recounts of elections of the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Unified School District conducted by the City Clerk. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any person from contesting the results of any election by judicial proceedings authorized by law.
(b) Procedure. Within five days after the Council's declaration of the results of an election, any registered voter of the City, or of the School District in the case of Board of Education elections, may file with the City Clerk a written request to recount all of the votes cast at that election for candidates for any office, or for and against any measure. The request shall comply with the requirements of the City Election Code. The recount shall be conducted publicly and shall commence not more than seven calendar days after the City Clerk's acceptance of the recount request. No person who is an interested party to the recount shall be involved in the recount. The recount shall otherwise be conducted in accordance with procedures set forth in the City Election Code.
(c) Results of Recount. Upon completion of the recount, the Council shall declare the result. If any person who had not been declared nominated or elected is found upon the recount to be entitled to nomination or election, the Council shall so declare and direct that the proper certificate of nomination or election be issued to that person. If by the recount it is determined that the result of a ballot measure election is different than as already declared, the Council shall so declare.
(d) Costs of Recount. Any request for recount shall be accompanied by a bond or cash deposit in a sum specified by ordinance, in a form satisfactory to the City Clerk. The bond or deposit shall be payable to the City of Los Angeles in the event that the recount does not change the result of the election. If the result of an election is changed by the recount, the expense of the recount shall be borne by the City, and the bond or cash deposit shall be returned to the elector who requested the recount. The results of an election are considered changed if the identity of any person who had been declared nominated or elected is changed, or if the approval or disapproval of any ballot measure is changed.
SECTION HISTORY
Amended by: Charter Amendment 1, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015; Charter Amendment 2, approved March 3, 2015, effective April 2, 2015.