The Department of Elections Announces Results Reporting Timeline for the November 3, 2026, Consolidated General Election

Department of Elections
City and County of San Francisco
John Arntz, Director

For Immediate Release
SAN FRANCISCO, Monday, October 26, 2026 – The Department of Elections announces the following schedule for preliminary results reporting and ballot processing updates for the November 3 election.

Election Night Results Reporting

The Department will release four preliminary results reports on election night:

1. Approximately 8:45 p.m. – The first report will include vote totals from most vote-by-mail ballots received and processed before Election Day.
2. Approximately 9:45 p.m. – The second report will add available vote totals from ballots cast at polling places.
3. Approximately 10:45 p.m. – The third report will add polling place vote totals received since the second report.
4. After results from all polling places have been received – The final report of the evening will add the remaining polling place vote totals.

Under state law, the Department cannot release election results until voting has ended in all California counties. If extended voting hours elsewhere in the state affect San Francisco’s reporting schedule, the Department will post a notice at sfelections.gov/results.

For local contests using ranked-choice voting (RCV), the first and fourth reports will include round-by-round preliminary results and summary tables showing each candidate’s vote totals in the first and final rounds. The second and third reports will include only first-choice vote totals for these contests.

All preliminary election results will be posted at sfelections.gov/results.

Canvass Period Ballot Processing Updates and Results Reporting

Beginning Wednesday, November 4, the Department will publish daily estimates of the number of ballots remaining to be processed. The Department will continue providing these estimates daily until all ballots have been processed and all eligible ballots have been counted.

The Department will also release updated preliminary election results at approximately 4 p.m. each day from Wednesday, November 4, through Friday, November 13, except Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

After November 13, the Department will release additional results updates as ballots are counted.

Under state law, the earliest date the Department may certify the election results is Wednesday, November 25, 2026.

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