Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be known for days or weeks after Election Day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known.
Republican Steve Hilton continued to pull ahead in the early vote counts, but it appears all but guaranteed that he will face off against Democrat Xavier Becerra in the race for California governor.
CalMatters is calling this one "a nailbiter befitting the most unsettled gubernatorial race in recent memory." Stay tuned as Thursday's vote count (hopefully!) brings more clarity.
Our limited-run newsletter Make It Make Sense unpacks the ballot count and results, then checks in regularly on officials voted into office and the measures voters pass.
The California governor is the most powerful elected official in the nation’s most populous state, commanding a $300 billion budget. The governor shapes policy for 39 million residents, signs or vetoes legislation, appoints judges and members of regulatory agencies and leads crisis response from wildfires to pandemics. California’s governor wields outsized national influence, making the office a launching pad for presidential ambitions.
Now, let's get to the rest of the state races.
The top two vote-getters in the rest of these races will face off in a November runoff with one exception. In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, a candidate can win outright by getting a majority of the votes (50% plus one vote) in the primary.
Rob Bonta, the incumbent, faces challenges from Huntington Beach Republican Michael E. Gates and the Green Party's Marjorie Mikels.
California’s top cop carries out the governor’s law enforcement directives. The attorney general’s job touches almost every facet of life in California, from the environment to its tech sector and consumer protections. During both Trump administrations, the attorney general’s office led high-profile lawsuits defending policies favored by California Democrats.
Four seats on the California Board of Equalization are up for grabs in the 2026 election. The agency oversees property tax practices.
The Board of Equalization was created to standardize property tax assessments across the state. Today, the five-member board advises county assessors, sets the taxable value of property owned by utilities and railroads and hears some taxpayer appeals. Lawmakers stripped the agency of broader authority in 2017.
California’s controller serves as the state’s chief accountant, overseeing spending in a state that makes up one of the world’s largest economies. Whoever is elected will be in charge of auditing the state’s finances and paying government employees.
California’s insurance commissioner regulates the largest property and casualty insurance market — including homeowners and auto — in the nation, which has been in distress for the past few years as wildfire risk has grown and insurers have pulled back from writing policies. The current insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, is being term limited out.
The availability of affordable insurance affects homeowners, businesses, landlords and their renters, local communities and the state’s economy. Whoever wins will have to do the “second-hardest job in the state behind the governor,” said one former commissioner, especially in the wake of devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.
The lieutenant governor is next in line to the governor in case of an absence or vacancy, but much of the job is ceremonial. This officeholder stands in when the governor leaves California, serves as president of the state Senate with the ability to break a tie vote, and sits on California’s higher education boards. The office has a budget of nearly $3 million.
The secretary of state oversees the administration of all federal and state elections in California, including certifying candidates and initiatives for statewide ballots, issuing voter guides and ensuring votes are properly counted. The office also handles corporate business filings, maintains the state archives and manages a database of lobbyist registration and campaign finance disclosures.
The new superintendent will have a statewide platform to promote policies and a record $150 billion budget for nearly 6 million public school students. The office is nonpartisan. This race could be won outright in the primary if a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote.
Local school districts in California largely control budget and curriculum decisions, leaving the state’s superintendent with limited authority. The state is now considering shifting some of the office’s responsibilities to the governor-appointed State Board of Education, shrinking the role even further.
As the state’s chief banker, the treasurer manages and invests unspent taxpayer money and oversees the state’s borrowing and debts. Though much of the work is technical, the official can make policy waves by launching new financial initiatives or influencing where the state invests its extra cash.
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. In L.A. County, for example, updates on the counting are expected to continue through June 26. After the polls closed on election night, we had updates to the official count regularly into the early hours Wednesday. After that, updates have been daily around 5 p.m. Expect updates on the following days: June 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 26. Final results must be certified by July 10.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will report when candidates concede and otherwise rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls (before official results). We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here, here and here.
You can track the status of your ballot through California's BallotTrax website.
If your mail-in ballot has any problems (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it.
The California Secretary of State's Office is required to certify the final vote tallies by July 10, marking the official end of the 2026 primary election.
LAist's Voter Game Plan will be back in the fall to help you prepare for the Nov. 3 general election.
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election
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