Monday, September 14, 2026
Pacific Edition
California General Election; November 3, 2026
The ballot is long; the path through it can be clear.
Start with the statewide offices and measures every California voter should know; then move to the official record and the ballot tied to your address.
- 24
- names in the statewide candidate guide
- 14
- statewide propositions
- 7 a.m.
- polls open on Election Day
Verified September 14, 2026; official state and county sources remain authoritative.
Start with the question in front of you
Four paths; one election.
Statewide offices and propositions appear across California; district, legislative, congressional, judicial and local contests depend on the voter's address.
Statewide offices
Compare the candidates
Search 24 names across nine office sections; see what each office controls and open the official statements.
Open candidate guideStatewide measures
Read all 14 propositions
Check what yes and no mean, review the fiscal effects and keep the state analysis attached.
Open proposition guideDates and actions
Put the deadlines in order
Track registration, ballot mailing, early voting and Election Day; download the working calendar.
Open deadline trackerYour district and county
Find the ballot tied to you
Move to California Voters for an address-based ballot lookup; the Journal does not receive your address.
Find my district ballotGo straight to the record; these links leave the Journal for official California election systems.
Dates to hold
The short calendar.
These are the statewide anchors; county schedules and individual ballot problems can require a different next step.
Ballots begin mailing
County officials begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots; early voting begins.
Standard registration deadline
Conditional registration remains available after the standard deadline.
First vote centers open
The first centers open in participating Voter's Choice Act counties.
Election Day
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; ballot return rules still apply.
What this page does
Orientation here; decisions stay with the voter.
The Journal's guides translate the structure of the official record; they do not endorse a candidate or a vote on this page. Candidate statements remain campaign claims and are linked at the state source.
The statewide guide is not a complete personal ballot. Congress, the Legislature, judges, county offices, city contests and local measures depend on district and county boundaries.
Address-based lookup happens at California Voters under its own privacy policy; the Journal does not receive the address. Check the county voter guide before treating any list as final.
Reader pulse
What do you still need before you can finish your ballot?
Choose the part where one more sourced guide would save the most time.
No responses yet; be the first.
One response per poll per browser; results are directional, not scientific.
Primary record