General Election - November 3, 2026
| Description of Event | Deadline* |
|---|---|
| Supreme and Appellate Courts: Signatures-In-Lieu of Filing Fee Period | May 18 – July 16, 2026 |
| Last day for initiative and legislative measures to qualify to appear on the ballot | June 25, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Proposition Ballot Title and Summary and Condensed Ballot Title and Summary Deadline | July 3, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Proposition Argument Submission Deadline | July 7, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Proposition Argument Selection and Exchange | July 12, 2026* |
| Voter Information Guide: Statewide Constitutional Office Candidate Statement and Supreme Court Justice Statement of Qualification Deadline | July 15, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Proposition Analysis and Text Deadline | July 16, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Rebuttal Argument and Summary Information Deadline | July 16, 2026 |
| Supreme and Appellate Courts: Declaration of Candidacy Period | July 17 – August 15*, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Available for Public Display and Examination. | July 21 – August 10, 2026 |
| Change of Candidate’s Ballot Designation - Deadline | July 28, 2026 |
| Randomized alphabet drawing for the order of the candidates on the ballot | August 13, 2026 |
| Notice to Candidates | August 22, 2026* |
| Certified List of Candidates for the November 3, 2026, General Election will be posted | August 27, 2026 |
| Voters can check their status at My Voter Status to confirm their mailing address and voting status. | August 27, 2026 |
| Voter Information Guide: Online Version Available | September 4, 2026 |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction: Statement of Write-In Candidacy and Nomination Paper Period | September 7 – October 20, 2026 |
| Last day for county elections officials to transmit ballots and balloting materials to absent military and overseas voters who have requested them by this date | September 19, 2026** |
| Secretary of State's will mail the Official Voter Information Guide during this period | September 24 – October 13, 2026 |
| County Election officials will mail the County Voter Information Guide during this period | September 24 – October 13, 2026 |
| No later than this date, county elections officials shall begin mailing each registered voter a vote-by-mail ballot | October 5, 2026 |
| Early Voting sites open | October 5, 2026 |
| By this date, all counties shall open ballot drop-off locations for vote-by-mail ballots. To find a location, please visit: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ | October 6 - November 3, 2026 |
| Last day to register to vote for the general election. To check your voter registration status, visit MyVoterStatus | October 19, 2026 |
| Same Day Registration available. Voters can "conditionally" register and vote a provisional ballot during this time | October 20 - November 3, 2026 |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction: Certified List of Write-in Candidates | October 23, 2026 |
| Voter's Choice Act counties to open Vote Centers | October 24, 2026* |
| Election Day - Polls shall be open throughout the state from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. | November 3, 2026 |
| Beginning at 8:00 p.m., county elections officials begin reporting election results; counties shall conduct the semifinal official canvass of votes and report totals to the Secretary of State at least every two hours until completed. | November 3, 2026 |
| Vote‐By‐Mail Ballots returned by mail, in order to be counted, must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office. | November 10, 2026 |
| Last day for county elections officials to certify election results | December 3, 2026 |
| County elections official shall send to the Secretary of State, in an electronic format, one complete copy of the general election returns. | December 4, 2026 |
| Statement of Vote certified by the Secretary of State | December 11, 2026 |
| Certificates of Election | December 11, 2026 |
| Last day for Secretary of State to release the official Supplement to the Statement of the Vote | April 10, 2027* |
*Date falls on a weekend or state holiday; it does not move forward to the next business day.
**Elections Code section 3114 and the federal MOVE Act require that ballots be sent to military and overseas voters no later than 45 days prior to an election. This E-45 deadline must be adhered to and does not move forward even though the date falls on a Saturday.
