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About this election
What to keep in mind about these numbers
- 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.
- Has your ballot been tallied yet? You can track the status of your ballot here.
- 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. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
- In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, there will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
- The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
- 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 rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. 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 and here.
Wondering how we got here? Here's the backstory to this race:
What’s at stake in this race
California’s insurance commissioner regulates the nation’s largest property and casualty insurance market — including homeowners and auto — which has been in distress for the past few years as wildfire risk has grown and insurers pulled back from writing policies. The availability of affordable insurance affects homeowners, businesses, landlords and renters, local communities and the state’s economy. Whoever is elected will have the “second-hardest job in the state behind the governor,” said one former commissioner.
The candidates
Ben Allen
Party: Democrat
State senator
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Allen was elected in 2014 and has a strong record on environmental issues, authoring the law that largely restricts plastic straws and single-use plastics in the state. Since his district was hit by the Palisades Fire in January 2025, he has authored legislation to give the insurance department more enforcement power and to establish a loan program for wildfire resilience. If elected commissioner, he wants to increase the insurance department’s staff to handle consumer complaints. He would also push California to rethink where it builds.
Key endorsements
- California Environmental Voters
- California Professional Firefighters
- Sierra Club California
- Democratic Party
Media:
More voter resources:
Jane Kim
Party: Democrat
Consumer advocate/attorney
The former San Francisco supervisor succeeded in securing free community college for city residents, the state’s first $15 minimum wage ordinance and a tenant-protection ordinance to avoid unjust evictions. Kim wants to establish “natural disaster insurance for all,” a state-run authority funded by premiums paid to insurance companies that would guarantee coverage for wildfires and floods. She would also expand California’s low-cost auto insurance program.
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Key endorsements
- SEIU California
- California Teachers Association
- California Faculty Association
- California Labor Federation
More voter resources:
In their own words
Listen
36:13
Listen to their AirTalk interviews
Guests: Insurance Commissioner candidates Ben Allen, California state senator representing District 24, and Jane Kim, former San Francisco supervisor representing District 6.
Statements to CalMatters
Ben Allen: “After disasters, California should ensure people recover, not be forced out”
Jane Kim “Insurers’ blockbuster profits enrich shareholders and CEOs, not customers”
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Go deeper on policy
Home insurance
Allen said mitigation at the home and community levels should help make neighborhoods more resilient, thus reducing risk and improving insurability.
Kim wants to improve home insurance availability by tying it to insurance companies’ ability to sell auto insurance in the state.
Auto insurance
Allen said expanding eligibility for a low-cost insurance program to everyone could hurt the low-income drivers who really need it.
Kim wants to expand a state program that allows low-income drivers to get low-cost insurance to every California driver.
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Insurance claims
Allen would require insurers to provide real-time reports of delays and outstanding claims after a disaster and to explain claim denials. He would add staff to handle complaints and appoint a consumer advocate in the insurance department.
Kim would pursue a way to freeze rates when a policyholder files a claim and penalize insurers for delaying claims. She would create a public dashboard that shows insurers’ records on claims.
Climate policy
Allen touts writing Proposition 4, the climate bond measure approved by voters in 2024. He supports holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role in climate change and increased wildfire risk.
Insurance companies should disclose how they spend policyholders’ premiums, including whether they financially support the fossil fuel industry, Kim said.
Development
Allen would involve local and state officials, firefighters, builders and the insurance industry in thinking about development, including by avoiding building in areas of high fire risk and encouraging people to move away from such areas.
Kim said while the state needs to move away from building in high-risk areas, it’s inevitable that additional areas will eventually be considered high risk.
FAIR Plan
Allen wants to increase oversight of the last-resort fire insurance provider and make it more accountable to the insurance department.
“Natural disaster insurance for all” would reduce the need for the FAIR Plan, though Kim said it will still be important to have an insurer of last resort. The plan needs to be more accountable, she said.
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