Sacramento, Calif. – The Office of the California Secretary of State announced California polls are officially closed for the November 3, 2026, General Election. County elections officials will work through the night, and in the coming weeks counting ballots.  

Election Night will provide a tentative outcome of the election races but will take several weeks for final results. California election law allows election officials 30 days to count ballots and conduct a post-election audit.

Counting Takes Time: With the largest electorate in the nation, California election officials prioritize election security ensuring all valid votes are accurately processed. Election results will be available at ElectionResults.sos.ca.gov as each of the 58 counties report to the Secretary of State’s office.

Once Election Day polls close, the first election results are typically ballots received before Election Day, which include vote-by-mail and early voting location ballots. County election officials will process and count provisional ballots, ballots from voters who registered and voted conditionally (Same Day Voter Registration), and vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day.

California county election officials have 30 days from Nov. 3, to process ballots and must finalize their official results by Dec. 3. The Secretary of State will certify the statewide results on December 11, 2026.

Learn more about the ballot counting process on the Secretary of State website as well as the Unofficial Elections Results webpage. 

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