Sponsored by
Live primary election results tonight: Long Beach mayor and other city offices
More about these races
In these races, the candidate who earns more than 50% of the vote in the June 2 primary wins outright. If not, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff in the general election Nov. 3. The exception is the Long Beach Unified School District races: These are "winner takes all" races, with victory going to the person with the most votes.
Long Beach mayor
What's at stake
The mayor is Long Beach’s most visible public official, and the incumbent, Rex Richardson, is facing five challengers. The mayor has enormous power to set the city’s agenda by presiding over City Council meetings and helping craft the annual budget.
Whoever wins will represent the city on the world stage when the Olympics come to the L.A. area in 2028, including 11 events in Long Beach. Helping set priorities and building excitement for the lead-up to the Olympics will be a crucial part of the job.
Why this race matters
Long Beach’s looming budget deficit, projected at over $60 million next year, will be a major topic for the mayor and City Council, who will have to decide on potential cuts. Homelessness continues to be a major issue, and the mayor has often been the face of Long Beach’s response to the problem. Whether the city’s approach is working or whether it needs new ideas will undoubtedly be a topic of contention.
Sponsored message
Campaign finance
Go deeper
Long Beach City Council
What's at stake
The City Council is Long Beach’s main legislative body. Seats in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are up for election this year.
Sponsored message
The council's nine members are among the most powerful people in the city, deciding how best to spend more than $3 billion each year on key services such as public health, streets and public infrastructure, law enforcement and the Fire Department. Individual council offices are often residents' first and best point of contact when there’s a neighborhood problem that requires the city’s attention.
Why these races matter
Long Beach’s budget deficit, projected at over $60 million next year, will be a major topic for all council members, who will have to decide on potential cuts.
Homelessness continues to be a major issue, with frequent discussion about encampments along the Los Angeles River, in Lincoln Park and around the Billie Jean King Main Library.
Olympic preparation, including several events in the downtown area, also will undoubtedly be on the agenda.
Go deeper
- Guide to the race for Long Beach City Council, District 1 (LAist)
- Guide to the race for Long Beach City Council, District 3 (LAist)
- Guide to the race for Long Beach City Council, District 5 (LAist)
- Guide to the race for Long Beach City Council, District 7 (LAist)
- Guide to the race for Long Beach City Council, District 9 (LAist)
Long Beach Unified school board
Long Beach Unified School District is one of the largest school districts in the state and the second-largest in Los Angeles County. This election, two seats (in Districts 1 and 5) on the five-person governing board are up for grabs.
Sponsored message
Why these races matter
Long Beach Unified has had a tough year. The district is operating at a large deficit due to declining enrollment, rising costs and not enough state and federal funding. As a result, the school board has already authorized tens of millions of dollars in program and position cuts to balance its budget. And the board will have to make more tough decisions next year.
Meanwhile, the district has work to do in order to meet the ambitious academic achievement goals the school board set for June 2028. The district isn’t on track to meet most of these goals, and the board will have to strategize about how to advance student outcomes.
Go deeper
- Guide to the Long Beach Unified School Board race, District 1 (LAist)
- Guide to the Long Beach Unified School Board race, District 5 (LAist)
Long Beach city auditor
The auditor is Long Beach’s internal financial watchdog. The core of the auditor’s job is making sure public funds are well-managed and spent as intended.
Why this race matters
An increasing number of Long Beach voters have flagged fraud and waste in city government as a major problem, putting even more pressure on the next auditor to deliver on the promise of transparency and accountability.
Sponsored message
Go deeper
About the vote count
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.
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. In L.A. County, for example, updates on the counting are expected to continue through June 26. After the polls close on election night, expect updates every 15 minutes or so through the early morning hours Wednesday. After that, expect updated counts around 5 p.m. on the following days: June 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 26. Final results must be certified by July 10.
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 report when candidates concede and otherwise rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls (before official results). 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, here and here.
Tracking your ballot
You can track the status of your ballot through California's BallotTrax website.
If your mail-in ballot has any problems (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it.
Official results
The California Secretary of State's Office is required to certify the final vote tallies by July 10, marking the official end of the 2026 primary election.
LAist's Voter Game Plan will be back in the fall to help you prepare for the Nov. 3 general election.
Ask us a question
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