The City Clerk Election Division detailed the steps, deadlines and documentation candidates must follow to qualify for the June 2, 2026 Los Angeles primary.

"Only nominating petitions issued by the city clerk will be accepted by our office," said Speaker 1, a City Clerk Election Division staff member, emphasizing the office will not accept photocopied forms. The first day to obtain and file nominating petitions is Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026; the last day to obtain and file petitions is Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 5 p.m., the presentation said.

Candidates may qualify two ways: pay a $300 filing fee and submit at least 500 valid signatures, or waive the fee and submit at least 1,000 valid signatures. Exhibit 1, the nominating petition form, contains 100 sections with 20 signature lines per section (up to 2,000 signature spaces). Speaker 1 said replacement petition sections will be issued for lost or damaged sections but an original section becomes void if a replacement is issued; all sections (including replacements) must be filed together.

The presentation stressed circulator requirements and common errors. Circulators must be at least 18 years old, only one circulator may circulate each petition section, and a circulator who begins a section may not hand that section off to another circulator to complete it. The circulator affidavit must be completed and remain attached; Speaker 1 called improperly executed affidavits a frequent cause of invalid petitions.

File processing is first-come, first-served and filing may take one to two hours, the presentation said. The city clerk has 10 calendar days from the day of filing to verify submitted signatures and will notify candidates by telephone and follow-up letter. If a petition is found insufficient, candidates may have an opportunity to circulate and file a supplemental petition before the filing deadline; supplemental petitions also receive a 10-day verification period.

Speaker 3 reiterated that the filing deadline is a legal deadline with no extensions and repeated, "No exceptions," regarding after-hours acceptance. Payment at filing (when applicable) is by cash or check payable to City of Los Angeles; candidates may assign authorized representatives to pick up or file petitions if they provide a signed authorization letter naming each representative and specifying authorized actions and the representative shows identification.

For accessibility, instructions for petition signers are provided in English and the city- and federally-mandated languages listed in the presentation. The City Clerk Election Division recommended making an appointment, using a circulator log and consulting the county street index to target likely registered-voter households.

To check petition status, the division directs filers to the Nominating Petition Filing Report on its website and to subscribe to Candidate Related Updates. For assistance, the election division provided the phone number 213-978-0444 and the website clerk.lacity.org/elections.

The presentation concluded with a reminder that petitions will not be accepted after 5 p.m. on any business day during the filing period.