Due to the expected high voter turnout and the length of the multi-card ballot, the Department of Elections may need the full 30 days allowed under California law to complete the Official Canvass and certify the local results of the November 3, 2026, Consolidated General Election. State law requires the Department to certify the election by December 3, 2026.
As indicated in the Results Reporting Schedule, the Department will release four preliminary results reports on Election Night. Those results will continue to change over the following days and weeks as tens of thousands of additional ballots are reviewed and counted. These include valid vote-by-mail ballots received on or after Election Day, provisional ballots, and ballots requiring additional review before they can be counted.
Election results will be updated regularly throughout the Official Canvass and posted at sfelections.gov/results. To receive official election updates by email, subscribe at sfelections.gov/trustedinfo.
Learn more about the steps involved in counting every eligible ballot and why ballot counting continues after Election Day.
1. Multi-Card Ballot Means More Ballot Cards to Count
The November 3, 2026, Consolidated General Election ballot will consist of multiple ballot cards. In addition to federal, state, and local contests, voters are expected to decide 14 state measures, 1 regional measure and 10 local measures.
Statewide general elections typically have high voter turnout. With approximately 530,000 registered voters and turnout expected to approach 70%, the Department anticipates processing nearly two million ballot cards before the election results can be certified.
Before results can be certified, California law also requires the Department to complete a series of post-election procedures, including audits and manual tallies, to verify that voting equipment accurately counted every ballot and correctly reported the election results.
2. Vote-by-Mail Ballots Require Several Processing Steps Before They Can Be Counted
Each returned ballot envelope is first scanned, and the voter's signature is compared with the signature in the voter's registration record. If the signatures are reasonably comparable, the ballot is accepted for counting. If they are not, or if the voter forgets to sign the ballot return envelope, the ballot is challenged, and the voter is given an opportunity to correct, or "cure," the issue.
Once the signature has been verified, the ballot envelope is opened, the ballot is separated from the envelope to preserve ballot secrecy, and the ballot is scanned and counted.
California law also requires election officials to count timely vote-by-mail ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election, as well as San Francisco ballots returned to other counties and later forwarded to the Department.
3. Provisional Ballots Must Be Reviewed Individually
Each election, thousands of voters cast provisional ballots.
A provisional ballot is issued when election officials must verify a voter's eligibility before the ballot can be counted. For example, when a voter registers and votes on Election Day or votes at a polling place other than their assigned location.
Each provisional ballot envelope must be individually reviewed. Election staff verify the voter's registration, resolve any outstanding questions, and confirm that the voter did not already cast another ballot before the ballot can be accepted for counting.
4. Accuracy Comes First
Election Night provides the public with an early snapshot of the election results—not the final outcome.
As additional ballots are reviewed, processed, and counted during the Official Canvass, vote totals will continue to change. This is an expected part of California's election process and helps ensure that every eligible ballot is counted and included in the final election results.
The Department appreciates the public's patience as election staff complete the many steps required by state law to verify, process, and count every eligible ballot.