California 2026 General Election Candidate & Measure Guide
Who and what is on your November ballot — compiled from CalMatters, the Legislative Analyst's Office, Ballotpedia, KPBS, LAist, and official Secretary of State sources.
November 3, 2026 General Election — Polls open 7am–8pm
14 Statewide Ballot Measures
Top-Two Runoffs
U.S. Senate & House in Play
How to Use This Guide
This sub-site covers the November 3, 2026 general election for California voters. Pages below profile the two candidates in each competitive race (the top-two finishers from the June 2 primary) plus every statewide ballot measure.
- Governor — Xavier Becerra (D) vs. Steve Hilton (R), the marquee race to succeed term-limited Gavin Newsom
- Statewide offices appear on every California ballot — Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Board of Equalization
- Ballot measures — 14 statewide propositions (Props 1–5 and 37–45) on housing bonds, taxes, voter ID, health clinics, and more
- Congressional races are district-specific — this guide covers CA-31 (San Gabriel Valley), CA-40 (Orange County / Inland Empire), and CA-48 (San Diego / Riverside)
- State Legislature — all 80 Assembly seats and the 20 even-numbered Senate seats are up; this guide covers the two districts overlapping the congressional races above (Senate District 32 and Assembly District 71)
- County races — nonpartisan countywide offices (assessor, auditor-controller, sheriff, superintendent of schools) and board-of-supervisors seats in Riverside and San Bernardino counties
- Judicial retention — appellate justices are appointed but must be retained by voters; open the page for your appellate district (2nd = Los Angeles; 4th = Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial & Inyo)
- Nationwide overview — U.S. Senate and House control math, with the key races that will decide the majority
- California uses a top-two primary system — the two candidates with the most votes in June advance to the general election regardless of party. This produces several same-party November matchups, including an all-Democratic Insurance Commissioner runoff and all-Democratic races for two of the four Board of Equalization seats.
Recommended Votes by Political View 1
How a progressive, liberal, moderate, libertarian, or conservative voter should cast each race and measure
Live Results 1
Unofficial Secretary of State results, auto-refreshing through election night
Governor 1
The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom — first open governorship since 2018
Statewide Offices 8
Executive and constitutional offices that appear on every ballot in California
Statewide Ballot Measures 14
Every proposition on the November ballot — what it does, who supports it, who opposes it
Congressional 3
U.S. House of Representatives races covered in depth on this site (district-specific)
Judicial Retention 2
Appellate justices are appointed but must be retained by voters — each district’s questions are separate, so open the page for your county. (The 2 statewide Supreme Court justices are included on each.) Not sure which district you’re in?
State Legislature 2
The State Senate and Assembly races overlapping CA-31, CA-40, and CA-48 — all 80 Assembly seats and the 20 even-numbered Senate seats are on the November ballot
County Races 2
Nonpartisan county offices on the Riverside and San Bernardino county ballots — assessor, auditor-controller, sheriff, superintendent, and supervisors
Nationwide Overview 1
U.S. Senate and House control — 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats on the ballot
Key Dates & Voting Information
Oct 5 — County election officials begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots
Oct 19 — Voter registration deadline (same-day registration available at polling places)
Oct 27 — Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot
Oct 31–Nov 2 — Early voting at county election offices
Nov 3 — Election Day — polls open 7am to 8pm
Certified results typically released within ~30 days
Check your registration, find your polling place, or track your ballot at registertovote.ca.gov.
Official voter information guide: voterguide.sos.ca.gov.