Here's when to expect 2026 midterm election results for California
California has the largest number of registered voters in the nation with more than 23 million registered voters, according to Secretary of State, Shirley Weber’s site.
As San Diego county election officials work to tally votes, here’s when you can expect 2026 midterm election results for California.
When do 2026 midterm election results come out?
The Registrar will post the first set of unofficial election night results shortly after 8 p.m. This update includes mail ballots received before Election Day and ballots cast at vote centers through Nov. 2.
The next round of results will only include ballots cast at vote centers on Nov. 3. No additional mail ballots will be included on election night. Staff will scan the ballots and post periodic updates until all vote center ballots are counted.
Final unofficial election night results may be posted around 1 a.m. or later. These results will include only Election Day ballots that can be processed immediately.
After election night, the San Diego County Registrar will post unofficial election results on:
- Thursday, Nov. 5, by 6 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 6, by 6 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 9, by 6 p.m.
County elections officials must finalize official results to the Secretary of State 30 days after the election. The Secretary of State then certifies the results 38 days after the election, according to Weber’s site.
Decision 2026
NBC 7 San Diego has everything you need to know for the 2026 midterm election in California.
How are votes counted in the 2026 midterm election?
Once the polls close on Nov. 3, county elections officials must begin reporting results to the Secretary of State no more than two hours after they begin tallying votes.
The first election results posted are typically ballots received before Nov. 3rd, either vote-by-mail ballots and ballots cast at an early voting location.
County elections officials may open and process vote-by-mail ballot envelopes up to 29 days before Nov. 3, but those results cannot be accessed or shared with the public until all polls close.
County elections officials continue to report results periodically throughout, until all precinct vote totals have been reported.
Election results are never final until the Secretary of State has compiled the official statewide results after all county elections officials have reported their official canvass of the votes.
What is a canvass period?
California county elections officials have 30 days to confirm all valid ballots are counted and included in final election results.
During the official canvass period, county elections officials will process and count provisional ballots, ballots from voters who registered and voted conditionally (Same Day Voter Registration), and vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days of the election, according to Weber’s site.
This process includes a comparison of signatures on envelopes to the signatures on file.
If a signature is missing or does not compare to the signature on file, state law requires county elections officials to reach out to voters to verify their signature to ensure that their ballot can be counted.
Voters are allowed to verify their signature up to eight days before the county certifies their results.
Additionally, elections officials are required to conduct a public 1% manual tally of the ballots tabulated by the county’s voting system in order to verify the accuracy of the automated count.
During the canvass period, counties must count and report on all ballots by the 13th day after the election.
Some exceptions may cause ballots to not be counted. This includes:
- Ballots requiring duplication
- Forwarded ballots
- Provisional and conditional ballots
- Vote-by-mail ballots with signature cure issues
- Ballots with valid postmarks received after the fourth day following the election
County elections officials who will not meet the deadline of the cavass period shall file an extension with the Secretary of State and include the reason for the extension.
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