Election Day is finally here!
Many Californians have already cast their ballots for the 2026 midterm elections. But if you haven’t, there’s still time – up until 8 p.m. today.
And remember: if you’re in line at a vote center before 8, don’t go anywhere. You can still vote. Only folks who arrive after 8 will be turned away.
Here’s a quick summary of your options for how to vote.
We’ll start with vote centers. In L.A. and Orange counties, voters can show up to any vote center in their county to vote in person. Vote centers will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.
The deadline for dropping off your ballot in a dropbox is also 8 p.m. Just remember to sign and date the ballot envelope.
To find a vote center or dropbox location near you, visit locator.lavote.gov if you’re in L.A. County. That link will take you to a map of vote centers. If you’re looking for dropbox locations, scroll down to the bottom of that page, where there is a link to a map of dropboxes.
For Orange County voters, check out ocvote.gov/elections/vote-center-locations for the addresses of vote centers.
For eligible Californians who aren’t yet registered to vote, the state offers a “conditional voter registration.” Eligible citizens are able to register or re-register to vote at their county elections office, polling place or vote centers and cast a ballot. But their ballots won’t be processed and counted until their voter registration application is verified and approved.
If you choose to drop off your marked ballot in a dropbox, you also have until 8 tonight to do so.
A third option for voting is to mail in your ballot, postage-free, using the U.S. Postal Service — though election officials strongly encourage you to choose the first two options instead at this point.
That’s because ballots must be postmarked by today and received by local election offices within seven days of Election Day.
So if you plan on voting by mail, it’s recommended you walk into a post office and request that your ballot be postmarked then and there.
During the June primary election, 148,241 mail ballots were rejected, with nearly two-thirds of the rejections because ballots were postmarked after Election Day or weren’t delivered to election offices by the deadline, according to the attorney general’s office.
So what happens after you vote?
If you wish to know the status of your ballot and if it’s been received or processed by the local election office, you can sign up for the state’s “Where’s My Ballot” tracker at california.ballottrax.net.
As of Sunday, over 6.4 million of the more than 23 million Californians registered to vote had already cast ballots, either in person or by mail, according to the California secretary of state’s office. That included nearly 1.4 million voters in Los Angeles County and roughly 600,800 in Orange County who voted early.
Election results will start trickling in shortly after voting ends at 8 tonight. The results are only partial at that point, but check the Southern California News Group’s websites for regular updates throughout the evening.
Although some races may be called by election night, it may take days before we learn the outcomes of tight races.
Election results aren’t official until they’re certified. Local election officials have until Dec. 3 to certify their county’s results. The California secretary of state has until Dec. 11 to certify all results.