Frequently Asked Questions

About Election Results and this Website – June 2, 2026

  1. Will the unofficial election results change after Election Night? When will the election results be final?

    Election results will be updated throughout the canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other ballots are processed. Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each county elections office uses to tally and report votes.

    Counties must finish counting all ballots and release the vote count for those ballots on or before the 13th day following the election. For the June 2, 2026, Primary Election, that deadline is Monday, June 15 (E+13). The exceptions to this requirement are:

    • ballots needing duplication,
    • ballots forwarded from other counties,
    • provisional ballots,
    • conditional ballots,
    • vote-by-mail ballots with signature cure issues (noncomparable signatures or no signatures on the ID envelope), and ballots received after fourth day following the election, or Saturday, June 6 (E+4).

    County elections officials who will not meet the E+13 deadline shall file an extension with the Secretary of State and include the reason for the extension.

    County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State by July 3, 2026. The Secretary of State will compile and certify the results of the election by July 10, 2026.

  2. Do county elections officials provide unofficial election results and ballot processing information on their websites? And for how long?

    County elections officials must post updated information regarding the election on their website at least two times between June 4, 2026, and June 11, 2026, and at least twice per week thereafter. The update shall include at least the following information:

    1. Updated results for any candidate appearing on the ballot.
    2. The number of ballots processed and an estimated number of outstanding ballots remaining unprocessed for each of the following categories: ballots voted at a polling place, vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day, vote-by-mail ballots received after Election Day, provisional ballots, and conditional voter registration provisional ballots.
    3. The date and time when they expect that the next results will be posted.

    County elections officials may stop posting the results described above when either of the following occurs:

    1. The county elections official certifies the results of the election.
    2. The only ballots left to count are vote-by-mail ballots for which a voter has the opportunity either to verify their signature or to provide their signature. If the county elections official stops posting results for this reason, they shall post a notice stating this reason on their website.
  3. What qualifies as a “close contest” for purposes of the Secretary of State’s election results website?

    For people interested in watching a contest with particularly tight margins, the Secretary of State website includes a "close contest" feature. As election results come in, this page will list a contest in which there is less than a 2% difference between second and third place for candidates (as only the top two candidates move on to the general election) and “yes” and “no” votes for the ballot measure. Election results will change throughout the 30-day canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other ballots are tallied.

  4. On Election Night: Why have some counties not reported any results immediately after the polls close?

    Each of the 58 county elections offices processes ballots differently, and the distances poll workers must travel from polling places to county offices vary greatly. State law requires county elections officials to send their first batch of results to the Secretary of State’s office no more than two hours after they begin tallying votes after polls close on Election Day. County elections officials continue to report results periodically on Election Night until all polling place ballot totals have been reported. County elections officials will continue to count vote-by-mail and provisional ballots up to 30 days after Election Day.

  5. On Election Night: Why do some counties show no precincts have reported, yet some votes have been reported?

    The first election results reported are typically ballots received before Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots were transmitted to military and overseas voters on or before 45 days before Election Day. For all other Californians, voting began on or before May 4, 2026 (E-29). County elections officials may begin opening and processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes on the date mailing begins, which shall not be later than May 4, 2026, but those results cannot be accessed or shared with the public until all polls close on Election Day.

    Many county elections officials choose to tally and report these early voted ballots before results come in from precincts, which are sometimes far away from county headquarters. Early voted ballots simply appear as raw vote totals because, in this initial stage, the ballots are not attributed to individual precincts.

  6. On Election Night: Why do some counties show 100% precincts partially reporting on their first report of the night?

    If a county reports vote results for at least one ballot per precinct, the county will show 100% precincts partially reporting and will appear as if they have gone “final” for the night. This does not always mean that the county is done reporting for the night; each subsequent report from the county will appear as an “update” report.

  7. On Election Night: Why do some counties show a high percentage of precincts reporting, yet the number of votes continues to change?

    A county may show an entire precinct as having reported even if only one ballot from that precinct has been counted. This is why the website specifically notes the data is from precincts “partially” reporting.

    Once a county submits its final ballot-count report for Election Night, “SF” (Semi-Final) will be noted in the “Report Type” column. Election Night results can be viewed as a snapshot in time on the County Reporting Status Snapshot page.

    Election results will change throughout the 30-day canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots (including conditional voter registration provisional ballots), and other ballots are tallied by county elections officials.

  8. When are vote-by-mail ballots counted?

    Vote-by-mail ballots received before Election Day are typically processed and ready to be counted on Election Day. Many more vote-by-mail ballots are dropped off at vote centers, polling locations, ballot drop-off locations, or arrive at county elections offices on Election Day. A mailed vote-by-mail ballot postmarked on or before Election Day is to be counted if received in the county elections office no later than seven days after the election. Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to process, verify, and count vote-by-mail ballots. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each local elections office uses to tally and report votes.

    Counties must finish counting all ballots and release the vote count for those ballots on or before the 13th day following the election. For the June 2, 2026, Primary Election, that deadline is Monday, June 15 (E+13). The exceptions to this requirement are:

    • ballots needing duplication,
    • ballots forwarded from other counties,
    • provisional ballots,
    • conditional ballots,
    • vote-by-mail ballots with signature cure issues (noncomparable signatures or no signatures on the ID envelope), and ballots received after fourth day following the election, or Saturday, June 6 (E+4).

    County elections officials who will not meet the E+13 deadline shall file an extension with the Secretary of State and include the reason for the extension.

    All vote-by-mail ballots that county elections officials determine to be valid and cast by eligible voters are counted and included in the official election results, which will be published by the Secretary of State by July 10, 2026.

    A voter may check the status of their vote-by-mail ballot by visiting My Voter Status or sign up for the Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” ballot tracking system, which allows a voter to receive automatic notifications on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot.

  9. When are provisional ballots counted?

    All provisional ballots, including Same Day Voter Registration (conditional voter registration) provisional ballots, that county elections officials determine to be valid and cast by eligible voters are counted and included in their official election results. Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to process, verify, and count provisional ballots.

    The Secretary of State will compile the results and will certify the results of the election by July 10, 2026.

    You may check the status of your provisional ballot by visiting My Voter Status.

  10. What is the number of registered voters based on?

    The number of registered voters is based on the number of registrations reported by county elections officials as of the 15th day before the election and does not include any voters who registered or re-registered to vote within 14 days of the election.

    Eligible voters who registered or re-registered to vote using Same Day Voter Registration/Conditional Voter Registration after the close of registration will have their ballots processed and counted once the county elections official has completed the voter registration verification process.

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About Candidates

  1. California conducts top-two primaries for constitutional, congressional, and state legislative offices. In the June 2, 2026, Primary Election there will be candidates for constitutional, congressional, and state legislative offices. All candidates for these offices are listed on the same ballot and anyone can vote for any candidate, regardless of political party preference. The two candidates, regardless of their political party preference, who receive the most votes (also known as the top two vote-getters) in each constitutional, congressional and state legislative contest move on to the November general election, except for the Superintendent of Public Instruction contest-if a candidate at the primary election receives a majority (over 50%) of the votes the candidate will be elected to the office and the office will not appear on the November general election ballot.

    In a November general election in California, there are no party specific ballots. For constitutional, congressional, and legislative office contests, the top two vote-getters from the primary (or three if there was a tie for second place) will appear on the ballot.

  1. What do party preferences mean when listed with candidates' names on the ballot? What are the qualified political parties and abbreviations of those party names?

    A candidate must indicate their preference or lack of preference for a qualified political party. If the candidate has a qualified political party preference, that qualified political party will be indicated by the candidate's name on the ballot. If a candidate does not have a qualified political party preference, “Party Preference: None” will be indicated by the candidate's name on the ballot.

    Similarly, voters who do not have a party preference are known as having "no party preference" or as "NPP" voters.

    Abbreviations for the qualified political parties are:

    1. DEM = Democratic Party
    2. REP = Republican Party
    3. AI = American Independent Party
    4. GRN = Green Party
    5. LIB = Libertarian Party
    6. PF = Peace and Freedom Party
  2. Who is running for office?

    The Secretary of State’s Certified List of Candidates (PDF) includes all candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Board of Equalization, United States House of Representatives, State Senate, and State Assembly who are up for election. The Certified List of Write-In Candidates (PDF) includes all candidates running for office as write-in candidates. County elections officials provide certified lists of candidates for local contests such as mayor and sheriff.

    Information about candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Board of Equalization are available in the Secretary of State’s Voter Information Guide. Information about candidates for United States House of Representatives, State Senate, and State Assembly is available through county election offices and your county’s voter information guide.

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About Voting

  1. Was every active registered voter mailed a vote-by-mail ballot?

    Yes. Every active registered voter was mailed a vote-by-mail ballot for the election. Counties began mailing vote-by-mail ballots approximately 29 days before Election Day.

  2. Can I still vote in person?

    Yes, polls are open until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Please check your vote-by-mail ballot packet for a list of vote centers or polling places in your county. The Secretary of State also offers online tools to look up early voting locations, vote centers, and polling locations.

  3. What is Same Day Voter Registration (Conditional Voter Registration)?

    Same Day Voter Registration, also known as Conditional Voter Registration, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.

    Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Their ballots will be processed and counted once their county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process. In some instances, an existing voter may update their political party preference or their residential address by submitting a written request form to the county elections official, instead of having to complete a full voter registration application.

  4. What is provisional voting?

    If a voter’s name is not on the list of registered voters at a vote center or at their designated polling place but they believe they are registered to vote, they may request a provisional ballot. In most instances, a poll worker will give them a ballot and a special envelope. After voting, they will place their ballot in the provisional ballot envelope and sign the outside affirming their identity and that they have not already voted in this election. Their provisional ballot is counted after their county elections official has confirmed that they are registered to vote and they did not already vote in this election either at another voting location or by mail.

  5. When is the last day to return my completed vote-by-mail ballot?

    Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a polling place, vote center, county elections office, or a designated ballot drop-off location must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

    Vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than June 9, 2026 (seven days after Election Day.).

    If you are not sure your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive in time if mailed, bring it to any polling place, vote center, or a designated ballot drop-off location in your county or within the State or your county elections office no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

    Individuals should contact their county elections official for information regarding in-person voting opportunities (i.e., locations, hours, etc.) or visit vote.ca.gov.

  6. What if I can’t return my vote-by-mail ballot in person on Election Day?

    You may return your vote-by-mail ballot in person to any polling place, vote center, or designated ballot drop-off location within the State, or to your county elections office on Election Day.

    If you are unable to return the ballot yourself, you may designate any person, as long as they do not get paid on a per ballot basis, to return the ballot to your elections official or the precinct board at any polling location or designated ballot drop-off location within the State.

    Your ballot must be received by the elections official or the precinct board before the close of the polls at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

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