2026 California election results master guide: All 14 propositions, 12 statewide races and 52 House seats
One page for every California result: the 14 propositions, the governor and 11 other statewide offices, the Supreme Court retention votes and all 52 House seats, updated from the Secretary of State's count until certification on December 11.
Polls closed across California at 8 p.m. on November 3, 2026, and the Secretary of State's first semi-official results followed. Democrat Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton for governor, the Associated Press and NBC News projected. The 14 propositions and the other statewide races are still being counted. This page carries every statewide result as the count moves: all 14 propositions, the governor's race and the 11 other statewide offices, the two Supreme Court retention votes, and the 52 House seats on the Prop 50 map. It is updated with each Secretary of State report until the results are certified on December 11.
The numbers come from the Secretary of State's election results site, which told voters to "return to this site after 8:00 p.m. on Election Night" for live results. Counties begin reporting at 8 p.m. and, the state's key dates page says, "shall conduct the semifinal official canvass of votes and report totals to the Secretary of State at least every two hours until completed." The site tracks 23,860 precincts.
Three rules govern the wording on this page. A measure or candidate is "leading" or "trailing" until a news organization calls the contest, and the caller is named in the table. The Secretary of State's numbers are semi-official until December 11, so no result here is final before then. And the share of ballots still uncounted after election night is large: by our math, 33.8% of ballots were still outstanding two days after the November 2024 election and 39.1% two days after this June's primary. The section on the count explains why.
For what each measure does, the propositions master guide covers all 14. The candidates master guide profiles all 24 statewide candidates, the governor race breakdown sets Xavier Becerra against Steve Hilton issue by issue, and the House races master guide covers all 52 districts. The voting master guide has the rules for ballots still in the mail.
Results as of November 4, 2026, 1:09 a.m. PT, with 86.2% of precincts (20,573 of 23,860) partially reporting, from the Secretary of State. This page is updated with each new report.
California's 2026 election results follow this timeline from election night to December 11:
Every date below is from the Secretary of State's key dates page or the results site's frequently asked questions, except the two signature dates, which come from Elections Code section 3019 and the state's missing-signature fact sheet.
- November 3, 8 p.m.: polls close; counties report semi-official results at least every two hours until their election-night count is complete.
- November 7: the fourth day after the election. Ballots that arrive after this date are among the exceptions to the November 16 reporting deadline.
- November 10: last day for a mailed ballot postmarked by November 3 to reach the county and count.
- November 16: the 13th day after the election, by which counties must count and release results for all ballots except those needing duplication, provisional and conditional ballots, ballots forwarded from other counties, late-arriving mail ballots and ballots with signature problems.
- November 17: by this date counties must notify voters whose mail-ballot signature is missing or does not match.
- November 25, 5 p.m.: deadline for those voters to fix the signature so the ballot counts.
- December 3: last day for counties to certify their results.
- December 4: counties send the Secretary of State a complete electronic copy of the returns.
- December 11: the Secretary of State certifies the Statement of Vote and issues Certificates of Election.
- December 16: the fifth day after certification, when approved initiatives and constitutional amendments take effect.
- April 10, 2027: last day for the Supplement to the Statement of Vote, which carries district-level breakdowns.
Proposition results for all 14 California measures on the 2026 ballot:
The table lists the 14 measures in ballot order with the Secretary of State's yes and no totals, a status tag and the organization that called the result, if any. Each measure links to our explainer. The three tax measures that compete with each other, Props 40, 41 and 42, get their own table in the next section.
| Prop | Measure | Yes votes | Yes % | No votes | No % | Status | Called by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterans and affordable housing bond, $11.25 billionLegislative statute | 4,254,091 | 59.2% | 2,932,521 | 40.8% | Projected to pass | AP |
| 2 | Rainy-day fund cap, 10% to 20%Legislative constitutional amendment | 4,275,601 | 59.5% | 2,906,292 | 40.5% | Projected to pass | AP |
| 3 | High-income tax rates made permanentInitiative constitutional amendment | 4,237,965 | 58.5% | 3,000,495 | 41.5% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 4 | Public campaign financing allowedLegislative statute | 3,396,764 | 47.9% | 3,699,531 | 52.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 5 | Replacement question removed from recallsLegislative constitutional amendment | 3,503,362 | 50.2% | 3,474,918 | 49.8% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 37 | State loans for middle-income homebuyers, $25 billionInitiative statute | 4,350,938 | 60.8% | 2,800,740 | 39.2% | Projected to pass | AP |
| 38 | Immunology research bond, $8.4 billionInitiative statute | 4,021,411 | 56.0% | 3,153,619 | 44.0% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 39 | Voter ID and citizenship checksInitiative constitutional amendment | 3,002,670 | 41.2% | 4,281,718 | 58.8% | Projected to fail | AP |
| 40 | One-time 5% billionaire taxInitiative constitutional amendment and statute | 3,203,767 | 43.9% | 4,087,089 | 56.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 41 | Bars taxes exempt from the spending limit; auditsInitiative constitutional amendment | 3,417,282 | 47.7% | 3,747,730 | 52.3% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 42 | Bars new personal-property and retroactive taxesInitiative constitutional amendment | 3,945,894 | 54.5% | 3,288,787 | 45.5% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 43 | Two-thirds vote for voter-initiated local special taxesLegislative constitutional amendment | 3,226,987 | 45.3% | 3,899,480 | 54.7% | Counting | Not yet called |
| 44 | Clinics must spend 90% of revenue on servicesInitiative statute | 1,274,924 | 17.9% | 5,841,139 | 82.1% | Projected to fail | AP |
| 45 | Fast track through CEQA for nine project typesInitiative statute | 3,257,333 | 45.9% | 3,837,071 | 54.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Secretary of State semi-official results as of November 4, 2026, 1:09 a.m. PT, 86.2% (20,573 of 23,860) precincts partially reporting. "Counting" means no news organization has called the measure; "Leading" and "Trailing" describe the current count only. Results are certified December 11, 2026. | |||||||
A measure passes with a majority of the votes cast on it. The Secretary of State's ballot-measures page shows the same totals by county, and its measures map colors each county by the leading side. Pre-election polling, money and endorsements for each measure are in the propositions master guide.
Props 40, 41 and 42 are scored against each other, and the most yes votes wins:
The result that takes the most reading is the billionaire tax. Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on net worth above $1 billion. Proposition 41 and Proposition 42, funded by the same committee that opposes Prop 40, each declare that a same-ballot measure of Prop 40's kind "shall be deemed to be in conflict" with them, and that if they receive more yes votes, "all the provisions of the other measure shall be null and void."
That language rests on Article II, Section 10(b) of the California Constitution, which provides: "If provisions of two or more measures approved at the same election conflict, the provisions of the measure receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall prevail." The rule counts raw yes votes, not percentages. The state's Voter Information Guide warns on Prop 40's page that "if Proposition 41 or 42 on this same ballot receive more 'yes' votes than Proposition 40, then Proposition 40 could be stopped from becoming law even if it gets yes votes from a majority of voters."
| Prop | Measure | Yes votes | Yes % | Status | Rank by yes votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | One-time 5% billionaire taxInitiative constitutional amendment and statute | 3,203,767 | 43.9% | Counting | 3 |
| 41 | Bars taxes exempt from the spending limit; auditsInitiative constitutional amendment | 3,417,282 | 47.7% | Counting | 2 |
| 42 | Bars new personal-property and retroactive taxesInitiative constitutional amendment | 3,945,894 | 54.5% | Counting | 1 |
| Under Article II, Section 10(b) of the California Constitution, where approved measures conflict, "the provisions of the measure receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall prevail." The rank compares raw yes votes, not percentages. | |||||
Three outcomes are possible, and the yes-vote ranking in the table is the number to watch through the whole count:
- Prop 40 fails. There is no billionaire tax, whatever happens to 41 and 42.
- Prop 40 passes with more yes votes than both 41 and 42. The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act takes effect and, by its own terms, voids the conflicting provisions of the other two.
- Prop 40 passes but 41 or 42 has more yes votes. The Voter Information Guide's warning applies. Whether the measures actually conflict is a question for the courts, and Prop 40's text requires any lawsuit to validate the tax to be filed within 60 days of voter approval.
Because the ranking depends on raw vote counts, it can change as late-arriving mail ballots are added through November 10 and cured ballots through November 25. A lead of a few thousand yes votes on election night is not a result.
Statewide race results from governor to the Board of Equalization:
California elected a new governor to succeed Gavin Newsom, and filled seven other statewide offices and four Board of Equalization seats. The table lists each race's two finalists with the Secretary of State's totals, a status tag and the caller, followed by the two Supreme Court retention votes. Every statewide finalist is profiled in the candidates master guide.
| Office | Candidate | Votes | % | Status | Called by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Xavier BecerraD | 4,735,478 | 64.1% | Becerra projected | AP, NBC News |
| Steve HiltonR | 2,654,449 | 35.9% | Becerra projected | AP, NBC News | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Fiona MaD | 4,667,345 | 63.9% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Gloria RomeroR | 2,633,839 | 36.1% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Secretary of State | Shirley N. WeberD, incumbent | 4,724,669 | 64.8% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Don WagnerR | 2,569,241 | 35.2% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Controller | Malia M. CohenD, incumbent | 4,637,789 | 63.9% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Herb W. MorganR | 2,623,488 | 36.1% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Treasurer | Eleni KounalakisD | 4,651,978 | 64.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Jennifer HawksR | 2,608,368 | 35.9% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Attorney General | Rob BontaD, incumbent | 4,657,680 | 63.9% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Michael E. GatesR | 2,634,713 | 36.1% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Insurance Commissioner | Ben AllenD | 3,043,386 | 48.3% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Jane KimD | 3,262,536 | 51.7% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction (nonpartisan) | Richard BarreraNonpartisan | 3,603,905 | 57.3% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Sonja ShawNonpartisan | 2,690,540 | 42.7% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Board of Equalization, District 1 | Nelson EsparzaD | 861,395 | 53.7% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Shannon GroveR | 742,105 | 46.3% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Board of Equalization, District 2 | Sally J. LieberD, incumbent | 963,197 | 60.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| John PimentelD | 640,748 | 39.9% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Board of Equalization, District 3 | Mike GipsonD | 948,575 | 60.3% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Samuel P. SukatonD | 624,171 | 39.7% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Board of Equalization, District 4 | Tom UmbergD | 1,074,153 | 56.4% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Denis BilodeauR | 832,002 | 43.6% | Counting | Not yet called | |
| Supreme Court retention | Kelli M. EvansAssociate Justice since 2023 | 4,158,624 yes · 1,642,055 no | 71.7% yes | Counting | Not yet called |
| Supreme Court retention | Joshua P. GrobanAssociate Justice since 2018 | 4,130,875 yes · 1,681,421 no | 71.1% yes | Counting | Not yet called |
| A retention question keeps the justice in office if yes votes outnumber no votes. The 62 Court of Appeal retention questions are on the Secretary of State's Courts of Appeal page. | |||||
Three of the 12 races were between two Democrats under the state's top-two primary: insurance commissioner (Ben Allen and Jane Kim) and Board of Equalization Districts 2 and 3. The superintendent of public instruction is a nonpartisan office. Eight of the 12 offices had no incumbent on the ballot, so most of the winners take office for the first time; the new governor is sworn in on January 4, 2027.
The retention questions ask voters whether each justice should stay in office. A yes majority keeps the justice for the term; Justice Kelli M. Evans has served since 2023 and Justice Joshua P. Groban since 2019. The 62 Court of Appeal retention questions, which voters see only for their own appellate district, are on the Secretary of State's Courts of Appeal page.
House results across California's 52 districts under the Prop 50 map:
This was the first general election on the congressional map voters adopted through Prop 50 in November 2025. Our House races master guide covers all 52 districts and becomes the House results page after the election; the table below carries the 11 seats that guide rated closest, where the June 2 House or governor vote put Democrats and Republicans within 15 points, plus the 40th District, where two Republican incumbents, Ken Calvert and Young Kim, met after the new map put them in the same seat.
| District | Candidates | Votes | % | Status | Called by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Butte, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Plumas, Sierra, Sonoma, Tehama | Mike McGuire (D) | 87,473 | 57.2% | Counting | Not yet called |
| James Gallagher (R, incumbent) | 65,483 | 42.8% | |||
| 3El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento | Ami Bera (D, incumbent in the 6th) | 94,570 | 57.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Robb Tucker (R) | 71,186 | 42.9% | |||
| 6Placer, Sacramento, Yolo | Richard Pan (D) | 83,843 | 57.4% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Kevin Kiley (No party preference, incumbent in the 3rd) | 62,115 | 42.6% | |||
| 13Fresno, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus | Adam Gray (D, incumbent) | 54,384 | 61.5% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Kevin Lincoln (R) | 33,995 | 38.5% | |||
| 21Fresno, Tulare | Jim Costa (D, incumbent) | 53,053 | 62.1% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Kyle Kirkland (R) | 32,318 | 37.9% | |||
| 22Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Tulare | Randy Villegas (D) | 45,864 | 65.2% | Counting | Not yet called |
| David G. Valadao (R, incumbent) | 24,471 | 34.8% | |||
| 40Orange, Riverside | Ken Calvert (R, incumbent in the 41st) | 69,305 | 54.6% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Young Kim (R, incumbent) | 57,684 | 45.4% | |||
| 42Los Angeles, Orange | Robert Garcia (D, incumbent) | 108,608 | 60.4% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Brian Burley (R) | 71,289 | 39.6% | |||
| 45Los Angeles, Orange | Derek Tran (D, incumbent) | 101,277 | 58.7% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Chuong V. Vo (R) | 71,309 | 41.3% | |||
| 47Orange | Dave Min (D, incumbent) | 112,025 | 56.6% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Jenny Rae Le Roux (R) | 85,951 | 43.4% | |||
| 48Riverside, San Diego | Marni von Wilpert (D) | 89,421 | 59.4% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Jim Desmond (R) | 61,130 | 40.6% | |||
| 49Orange, San Diego | Mike Levin (D, incumbent) | 120,131 | 57.4% | Counting | Not yet called |
| Armen Kurdian (R) | 89,117 | 42.6% | |||
| The 11 closest seats are the districts where the June 2 House or governor vote put Democrats and Republicans within 15 points (our rule, from the House races master guide), plus the 40th, where two Republican incumbents meet. All 52 districts are in the House guide. | |||||
The delegation going into the election was 43 Democrats, 8 Republicans and one independent, Kevin Kiley, who is running in the 6th District with no party preference. Forty-two of the 52 contests were Democrat against Republican, eight were between two Democrats, one was between two Republicans and one, the 6th, pitted a Democrat against Kiley. Four seats had no incumbent: the 11th, 26th, 38th and 48th. District-by-district totals are on the Secretary of State's U.S. House page, and the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027.
California's count takes weeks because mail ballots keep arriving and signatures get checked:
The first report on election night covers mail ballots received before Election Day and ballots cast in person. Everything else is added over the following weeks. Two days after the November 2024 general election, counties had counted 10,728,985 ballots and estimated 5,472,423 still to process, the Secretary of State reported on November 7, 2024. Two days after this June's primary, the June 4, 2026 report put the figures at 5,617,892 counted and 3,606,128 outstanding. By our math, that left 33.8% of ballots uncounted after the 2024 general and 39.1% after the primary.
A mailed ballot counts if it is postmarked on or before November 3 and reaches the county by November 10, under Elections Code section 3020. Every mail ballot's signature is compared with the voter's registration, and a voter whose signature is missing or does not match must be notified by November 17 and has until 5 p.m. on November 25 to fix it, under section 3019. The Secretary of State posts an unprocessed ballots report by county during the count.
Counties have 30 days to finish, under section 15372, and their deadline is December 3. The results site's FAQ adds an earlier marker: counties must count and release all ballots except the listed exceptions by the 13th day after the election, November 16, and any county that cannot must file a notice of extension with the Secretary of State. Close contests, which the site lists when the margin is under 2%, are the ones most likely to change through that period.
Approved California measures take effect on December 16, five days after certification:
An initiative statute "takes effect on the fifth day after the Secretary of State files the statement of the vote," under Article II, Section 10(a) of the Constitution, and Article XVIII, Section 4 sets the same rule for constitutional amendments. With certification on December 11, that date is December 16. Both sections let a measure set a later operative date in its own text, and several do: the propositions master guide and each explainer's closing section give the operative dates measure by measure.
The two bond measures, Props 1 and 38, authorize borrowing rather than change a rule on a date. Prop 1's text says the bond act "shall only become operative upon adoption by the voters at the November 3, 2026, statewide general election." Props 4, 5, 39 and 45 each depend on later action by the Legislature or local governments before anything changes on the ground, as the master guide sets out.
California's 2026 election results and the dates still to come:
The count that began at 8 p.m. on November 3 runs to December 11, and the measures and races in this guide are updated with each Secretary of State report until then. The next fixed dates are November 10, when the last postmarked mail ballots can arrive; November 16, when counties must have released all but the exception ballots; November 25, the signature-cure deadline; December 3, when counties certify; and December 11, when the Secretary of State certifies the Statement of Vote. Approved measures take effect on December 16, the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027, and the new governor takes office on January 4.
This guide reflects the Secretary of State's semi-official results as of the time shown at the top of the page. Results are not final until the Statement of Vote is certified on December 11, 2026.
Sources & References
- California Secretary of State, Election Night Results, 2026 General Election—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/
- California Secretary of State, State Ballot Measures, Statewide Results—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/ballot-measures
- California Secretary of State, Frequently Asked Questions, 2026 General Election results—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/frequently-asked-questions
- California Secretary of State, Unprocessed Ballots Status—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/unprocessed-ballots-status
- California Secretary of State, Close Contests—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/close-contests
- California Secretary of State, U.S. House of Representatives district results—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/contests/district/us-rep
- California Secretary of State, Courts of Appeal retention results—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/contests/district/courts-of-appeal
- California Secretary of State, Map, State Ballot Measures—https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/contests/maps/ballot-measures
- California Secretary of State, Key Dates and Deadlines, General Election November 3, 2026—https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026/key-dates-deadlines
- California Secretary of State, Certified List of Candidates, November 3, 2026—https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2026-general/cert-list-candidates.pdf
- California Secretary of State, Unprocessed Ballots Report, November 7, 2024—https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2024-news-releases-and-advisories/california-secretary-state-shirley-n-weber-phd-issues-unprocessed-ballots-report
- California Secretary of State, Unprocessed Ballots Report, June 4, 2026—https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2026-news-releases-and-advisories/california-secretary-state-shirley-n-weber-phd-issues-unprocessed-ballots-report
- California Secretary of State, Missing Signature fact sheet—https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/pdfs/trusted-info/trusted-info-missing-signature.pdf
- California Constitution, Article II, Section 10—https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS§ionNum=SEC.%2010.&article=II
- California Constitution, Article XVIII, Section 4—https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS§ionNum=SEC.%204.&article=XVIII
- Elections Code section 3019—https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=3019
- Elections Code section 3020—https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=3020
- Elections Code section 15372—https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=15372
- Voter Information Guide, Proposition 40 analysis—https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/40/
- Voter Information Guide, Proposition 1, text of proposed law—https://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2026/general/pdf/prop1-text-proposed-laws.pdf
- GV Wire, "Xavier Becerra Wins California Governor's Race, NBC News and AP Project," November 3, 2026—https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race-nbc-news-and-ap-projects/
