CA Statewide Primary Election - June 2, 2026

CA Statewide Primary Election - June 2, 2026

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Type: 
News
 
The California  Statewide Direct Primary Election will be held on June 2, 2026. 
  • All active California registered voters will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the Primary Election. 
  • Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail, at a drop-off location, or your county elections office.
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 VOTE411 is the League’s one-stop-shop to find all the information you need to cast your ballot. It's online, easy to use, nonpartisan, and available in both English and Spanish. 
 
 

Key dates: 

  • The last day to register to vote in the 2026 CA Primary Election is May 18, 2026.
  • The county elections office will begin mailing ballots by May 4, 2026.
  • Ballot drop-off locations open on May 5, 2026.
  • Vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties beginning on May 23, 2026.
  • Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day (6/2/26) and received by June 9, 2026. Mail your ballot as soon as possible, at least 7 - 10 days before the 6/2/26 deadline.*

*ALERT: MAIL YOUR BALLOT BACK EARLY! 
Beginning December 24, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service has changed how postmarks are applied. If you mail in your ballot, this change will affect whether your ballot is postmarked in time to be counted.

Under the new process, USPS does not stamp mail when they receive it at your local post office. Instead, the “official” postmark date is whenever your envelope first hits an automated sorting machine at a regional processing center. As a result, the date shown on your envelope may be several days later than the day you placed it in the mail.

To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day, mail your ballot as soon as possible, at least 7 - 10 days before the 6/2/26 deadline.

If you are mailing your ballot on Election Day, request a manual postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office.

Resources

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Candidate Forums

Gubernatorial Candidate Forums - Various recordings collected from around California

Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools - Candidate Forum (5/9/26, in person only)

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How the Statewide Primary Election Works

In this California primary election, voters will choose which two candidates will move on to the general election in November.

For the following offices, you may choose any candidate on your ballot, from any political party. The two candidates with the most votes will run against each other in November. It is possible that those two candidates will be from the same political party.

Statewide Offices: 

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Controller
Treasurer 
Attorney General 
Insurance Commissioner
Superintendent of Public Instruction

District Offices:

Representative in U.S. Congress (2-Year term).
State Senator (4-Year term, even-numbered districts will be voted on in this election)
State Assembly Member (2-Year term)
State Board of Equalization (state tax commission, 4-Year term)

There may be other local government candidates or judges on your ballot depending on where you live. The county elections office will mail you a County Voter Information Guide that lists everything that you can vote on. 
 

Check WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to find out where your ballot is in the process and when it has been accepted.

Find your ballot and voting information:

Enter your home address in the VOTE411 box below to see your personalized ballot and voting information. You can check your voter registration status, register to vote, see candidates and ballot issues on your personal ballot, check your election options and deadlines, and find your polling place and hours.
 
League to which this content belongs: 
Diablo Valley