Sponsored by
About this race
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
The secretary of state oversees the administration of all federal and state elections in California, including certifying candidates and initiatives for statewide ballots, issuing voter guides and ensuring votes are properly counted. The office also handles corporate business filings, maintains the state archives and manages a database of lobbyist registration and campaign finance disclosures.
The candidates
Donald P. Wagner
Party: Republican
Orange County Supervisor
Sponsored message
Wagner, an Orange County supervisor, former mayor of Irvine and ex-state assemblymember, is running on a platform of election integrity. As supervisor, he criticized the state’s COVID-19 response, questioned the county’s investment in diversity, equity and inclusion programs and pushed for the release of sensitive voter information to President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice over claims of voting irregularities. He supports requiring voter ID at the polls and criticizes Weber for the state’s slow ballot-counting process.
Listen
18:52
OC Supervisor Don Wagner makes his case for Secretary of State
Wagner talks to LAist's AirTalk about why voters should choose him.
Key endorsements
More voter resources:
Shirley N. Weber
Party: Democrat
Secretary of State | Incumbent
Weber, the daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers who fled the Jim Crow south, became the first Black secretary of state in California history by appointment in 2021, after serving eight years in the Assembly. She then easily won a full four-year term in 2022. Weber’s had an eventful tenure, overseeing the state’s permanent implementation of universal mail-in voting, administering high-profile elections such as the recall against Gov. Gavin Newsom, taking local governments to court over voting laws and fielding claims of election fraud. She pledged to expand voting access, improve transparency in election filings and enhance cybersecurity protections in a second term.
Sponsored message
Listen
18:30
CA Secretary of State Shirley Weber makes her case for reelection
Weber talks to LAist's AirTalk program about why voters should keep her in office.
Key endorsements
More voter resources:
Go deeper on policy
Follow the money
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about who's funding the campaigns or how to track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2026 election.