CA Validity Rules
This document explains how to apply California validity rules in Certifi.
Validity Options
You will work with the following validity outcomes:
Valid
Failed Match: The signature is readable and properly formatted but the signer is not registered to vote with the information they provided.
Unusable: The signature is not readable or not properly formatted, regardless of whether the signer is registered to vote or not.
Wrong County: The signer is not registered in the same county/city as the county/city listed on the sheet.
The sections below first explain what is acceptable or unacceptable by field, because this is the easiest way to learn and memorize the rules. After that, you’ll find a summary section explaining when to use each validity option.
Name Rules
First Name
First names are flexible.
First names can be shortened or abbreviated, although not initialized.
Common and reasonable nicknames are acceptable.
Examples of valid nicknames and shortenings:
Michael → Mike
Elizabeth → Liz
Derek → Der
If everything else matches, this is still Valid.
Examples of invalid initializations:
Tim Brogan → T Brogan
Patrick Powers → P Powers
These are Unusable.
Last Name
Last names are not flexible.
Last names cannot be shortened, abbreviated, initialized, or otherwise altered.
The written last name must match the voter database exactly.
There are two important exceptions:
Double Last Names
Some voters have two last names (often hyphenated or compound names).
A voter with a double last name only needs to write one of their last names.
This is still considered Valid, even though the written name differs from the database.
Important warning about double last names in the database:
Sometimes double last names appear in the voter database as a single word, without a space or hyphen. This is especially common with Spanish surnames.
Real Example:
Signer writes last name: Velez
Voter database shows last name: Veleznavarro
At first glance, this may look unusable. However, this is actually a Valid signature. Be on the lookout for these cases and take a moment to confirm whether the database last name is actually two names combined.
Married Name Changes
If a signer writes a married last name but is still listed in the database under their original last name (or vice versa), this must be marked as a Failed Match. The information does not match.
Street Address Rules
When reviewing addresses, only focus on two things:
The street number
The main street name
Ignore everything else.
What to Ignore
The following should always be ignored, even if they differ from the database:
Apartment or unit numbers
House fraction numbers (e.g., 10 1/2 Main St)
Directional prefixes (East, West, North, South)
Street types (St, Ave, Cir, Blvd, etc.)
Street Numbers
A street number must be present.
The street number must match the database exactly to be Valid.
Outcomes:
Incorrect street number → Failed Match
Missing street number → Unusable
Street Names
Street names can be flexible, but not vague.
Street names may be reasonably shortened, abbreviated, or contain minor spelling errors and still be Valid.
Street names cannot be fully initialized.
Example of unacceptable initialization:
10 LB St for 10 Long Beach St
This could mean multiple different streets and cannot be reliably interpreted.
Multi-Word Street Names
For streets with multiple words:
Writing only the first word is acceptable.
Shortening one or both words is acceptable.
Initializing all words is not acceptable and should be marked as a Failed Match. You can't tell what they're trying to indicate.
Address Mismatch Scenarios
If the signer’s name matches one or more voter records, but the address does not align, this is generally a Failed Match.
Even if you think beyond a reasonable doubt that the signer is a certain voter record due to their unique or rare name but the address doesn't match (a soft match), you need to mark these as a Failed Match.
Missing Street Name
Missing street name → Unusable
PO Boxes
If a PO Box or other non-address information appears in the address field, the signature must be marked as Unusable.
City & Zip Rules
City Names
City rules in California are very lenient.
Cities may be shortened, abbreviated, or contain spelling errors.
Cities may be initialized, even if they contain multiple words.
Any abbreviation is acceptable (e.g., LB = Long Beach).
If a city has multiple words, at least one letter per word is enough.
City and ZIP Interaction
Either the city or the ZIP code may be incorrect or missing — but not both.
Valid scenarios:
City incorrect, ZIP correct → Valid
ZIP incorrect, city correct → Valid
City missing, ZIP correct → Valid
ZIP missing, city correct → Valid
Invalid scenario:
City incorrect and ZIP incorrect → Failed Match
City missing and ZIP incorrect → Failed Match
ZIP missing and city incorrect → Failed Match
City missing and ZIP missing → Unusable
County Rules
Each petition sheet includes a county line, which is spliced out and presented to you.
Every voter on the sheet must be registered in that county.
If you find a voter match from a different county, do not validate it.
This is Wrong County.
Always double-check county compliance manually.
City Rules
A minority of petitions are city-wide petitions, not county-wide petitions. These petitions don't have a city line with the city written. Rather, the entire petition is only for one city or town. These are called "city-wides," or "municipal petitions."
You can see the name of the city on the top of the sheet in a similar spot as the county line on the other petitions. On these sheets:
Every voter on the sheet must be registered in that city.
If you find a voter match from a different city, do not validate it.
This is Wrong County.
(It would technically be Wrong City, but we only have one button for this option for now.)
Notice the text: "Signers Must Be Registered Voters of the City of Los Angeles" at the top.
There are a lot of neighborhoods and villages of Los Angeles, as well as other big cities in CA.
Notice on this sheet that a lot of signers are not from LA, writing "Van Nuys" or "NoHo" for "North Hollywood." These are neighborhoods of LA, so they would be valid if you can find the voter.
Please be vigilant at first and Google whether these places are neighborhoods or not. You will quickly memorize which are and which aren't.
On this sheet, "Burbank" is it's own city, and should be marked Wrong County.
Mismatched Fields
If all of the necessary information is present and there are no blank lines, but some fields are just swapped, the signature is still valid.
Blank Fields
If any fields are blank but the necessary information is squeezed in elsewhere, the signature is still valid.
If the information is not squeezed in elsewhere, it is Unusable.
Blank Rows
Delete these using the red trash can icon. They were likely unintentionally captured during processing.
Blackstriped Signatures
If the signature appears black-striped or covered in Sharpie, the client did this and wants us to disregard this.
These were disqualified before upload — delete them using the red trash can button.
Crossed Out Fields
Signatures where one or more (but not all) fields are crossed out are Unusable
Signatures where all fields or the entire box are crossed out should be deleted
We want to delete signatures that are clearly marked for deletion by the petitioner themselves before being sent to us. This is the same reason why we delete blackstriped signatures: they are clearly marked for deletion to ensure that we do not consider them.
But for signatures where only one or more fields are crossed out, but other parts of the signature are still present, it is not marked for deletion; the signature-gatherer still submitted it to us.
Soft- and Strict-Searching
If you can't find a signature using the strict search or if it's too illegible for you to gather enough information to use the strict search, toggle on the soft search.
The soft search requires less accuracy, so minor spelling errors are allowed (although not too many).
Always use the soft search if you can't find a voter with the strict search.
Validity Summary (How to Categorize)
🟢 Valid
Signature meets CA rules
Voter is present in the database
If all required information is present but simply on the wrong lines, still valid
If fields are blank but the necessary information is squeezed in elsewhere, still valid
🟠 Failed Match
Signature is at partially readable and all fields are present
Information simply does not match voter database
Includes:
No voter found
Address mismatch (wrong address/street number)
Initializing all words in a multi-word street name
Married name mismatch
Both city and ZIP are incorrect
🔴 Unusable
Signature is structurally disqualified or totally illegible
Includes:
First name is initialized (T. Brogan)
Last name is abbreviated, shortened, or initialized
Missing information like signature, street number, street name
PO Box in address
Crossed-out fields that do not have the necessary information rewritten somewhere
Blank fields that do not have the necessary information rewritten somewhere
🟡 Wrong County
Signer is not registered in the same county/city as the county/city listed on the sheet
Quickly compare the county of a potential match to the county written on the sheet
If the county of the voter does not match the written county, mark the signature as Wrong County
Some petitions have a backside, or multiple pages. The county is typically written on the first or front page only.
For backsides or sheets without a county written on them, validate signatures without considering the county.
Important Edge Cases
🔴 Unusable — The last name appears to be shortened.
🔴 Unusable — The last name is omitted.
🟢 Valid — Street directionals can be ignored, so this signature is Valid despite the missing "E" (East) prefix in the voter database.
🟢 Valid — Cities can be abbreviated.
🟢 Valid — Cities can be abbreviated.
🟢 Valid — Signer wrote one of their two last names, which is Valid.
❌ Delete — Black-striped signatures should be deleted, not marked as Failed.
Final Reminder
Learn what is acceptable by field first.
Once you know that, the correct validity option becomes obvious
If something is readable but mismatched → Failed Match If something is structurally wrong → Unusable If the signer's county does not match the written county → Wrong County If everything lines up → Valid
Consistency matters more than speed.
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