Notwithstanding Sections 8803 and 8810, any candidate who has been nominated at any primary election for superior court judge in which election there were at least two other candidates and who, after the date prescribed for the filing of declaration of candidacy pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 8020) of Chapter 1 of Part 1, has been appointed to any federal or state office, may request the county elections official to have his or her name removed from the ballot of the next ensuing general election. If the request is received by the county elections official at least 68 days before the next ensuing general election, the county elections official shall remove the candidate’s name from the ballot.
If a candidate’s name is removed from the ballot pursuant to this section, the two remaining candidates who received the highest number of votes cast on all the ballots of all the voters participating in the primary election for nomination for that office of superior court judge shall be the candidates for that office at the ensuing general election, and their names as candidates for that office shall be placed on the official ballot at the ensuing election.