Your last-minute voter guide to California’s 2026 general election

You have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to cast your vote in California’s general election. The Times has answers to last-minute questions about the voting process.

Here’s what you need to know:

What are the key races to watch?

1. The California governor’s race has narrowed down from six contenders to two top candidates: Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who has a long résumé in California electoral politics and received an endorsement from outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Steve Hilton, a Republican immigrant, an ally of President Trump and a former senior advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron. Your guide to the race for California governor can be found here.
2. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass faces a reelection challenge from Councilmember Nithya Raman, who was until recently a close ally of the mayor. In October during the only televised debate between the candidates, Bass portrayed Raman as someone who wasn’t ready to lead the city; Raman continues to allege the mayor is “missing in action” and that a vote for Bass would put the city in a position of further decline. Your guide to the L.A. mayor’s race can be found here.

What is on the ballot?

There are several local races and district seats, ballot measures and statewide races that Southern Californians must decide on.

Most of the attention will be on the races for California governor and mayor of Los Angeles.

Residents of the city of Los Angeles have several other items to consider, including:

• Two City Council seats, specifically council Districts 3 and 9.
• The Los Angeles city attorney seat.
• A tax measure that would boost Fire Department funding.
• Proposition TE: an exemption from the “mansion tax” for fire victims.
• Six proposed amendments to existing local policy including restructuring public works, streamlining the Planning Department, switching up City Council operations, funding for parks, public insight into airport and harbor departments, and board of education campaign finance rules.
• Three seats on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, specifically seats 2, 4, and 6.

Los Angeles County residents will be asked to vote on:

• The Los Angeles County sheriff’s race.
• Measure A, a charter amendment that would alter a final step in labor negotiations for key public safety personnel such as sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and lifeguards.
• Measure E, a charter amendment to implement previously approved ethics reforms and fix a major misstep that invalidated a previously approved jail alternatives funding proposal.
• Four runoff contests for Los Angeles County Superior Court judge seats, specifically seats 64, 65, 87 and 131.

On the ballot are 14 statewide propositions:

• Proposition 1: Borrowing money for low-income and veteran housing
• Proposition 2: Depositing more money into a “rainy day” fund
• Proposition 3: Making a high-income tax extension permanent
• Proposition 4: Allowing public campaign financing in California
• Proposition 5: Changing how recall elections are conducted in California
• Proposition 37: Loans for middle-income homeowners
• Proposition 38: Immunology and immunotherapy research funding
• Proposition 39: Stricter voter ID requirements
• Proposition 40: California’s billionaire tax proposal
• Proposition 41: Special tax audit proposal that could block the billionaire tax
• Proposition 42: Tax ban on retirement and personal savings that also could block the billionaire tax
• Proposition 43: Voting thresholds for local special taxes
• Proposition 44: Federally funded health clinic spending
• Proposition 45: Faster CEQA reviews for housing and infrastructure

Voters will decide on other statewide races including:

• Attorney general
• State treasurer
• Secretary of state
• State controller
• Lieutenant governor
• Insurance commissioner
• State schools superintendent

Six state congressional district seats are on the ballot:

• District 26
• District 27
• District 40
• District 45
• District 47
• District 48
  

California

Voter guide to the 2026 California general election

California’s general election takes place on Novemer 3. Learn about L.A.’s city and county races as well races for state office.

Oct. 1, 2026

Is it too late to vote by mail?

No. You can return your vote-by-mail ballot by:

1. Dropping it off in the return envelope at a secure official drop box now through the close of polls on Nov. 3.
2. Dropping it off in person at a polling place, vote center or county elections office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
3. Dropping it off at the post office. To ensure your ballot is postmarked by election day, mail it at least by Thursday — five days before Tuesday’s election. If mailing on election day, get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee at a United States post office.

What is the deadline to return a vote-by-mail ballot?

To be counted, vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before election day, Nov. 3, and received by your county elections office by Nov. 10.

How do I check if I’m registered to vote?

To find out if you’re registered to vote, visit the secretary of state’s website. You’ll need to enter a California driver’s license or identification number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

How do I register to vote? Can I register on election day?

The deadline to register to vote was Oct. 19.

If you’ve failed to meet the deadline, you can register as a conditional voter through the same-day voter registration process.

Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process at county elections offices, polling places or vote centers and fill out their ballot the same day.

To find an early voting location, use the secretary of state search tool here. You can find your local polling places here.

Your submitted ballot will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.

Where is the closest drop box?

Secure ballot drop-off locations opened Oct. 5. You can visit the Los Angeles County Office of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s website here to find a ballot box near you.

How do I track my ballot?

Once you cast your ballot, you can track it here.

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