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The 2026 California primary election is over, but many state and local races are still unresolved.
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Here’s what to know about how long it will take to count the votes.
When will we know the election results?
California has in excess of 23 million registered voters — more than any other state, the California Secretary of State’s Office said.
“Ensuring that all votes cast by eligible voters are accurately processed and counted takes time,” officials said.
In Sacramento County, thousands of ballots remained uncounted Wednesday, and elections officials are expected to release the next major update Friday afternoon, The Sacramento Bee reported.
While county officials have not said how many votes are left to count, turnout based on historical figures suggest that at least 250,000 ballots have yet to be counted.
County election officials began tallying the votes once the polls closed and reported results to the state starting two hours later. These reports continue until all votes submitted in-person at vote centers on election day are counted.
After that, Sacramento County releases updates twice a week on Fridays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m., The Bee reported.
Vote-by-mail ballots and early voting ballots normally are counted first, possibly even before election day, but the results cannot be reported until after the polls close, officials said.
Semi-official results posted Tuesday night include those ballots and at least some ballots cast at polling places Tuesday.
“The complete tally of votes is never finished on Election Night as vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted,” officials said.
By law, county elections offices have up to 30 days to canvass the election results and count all eligible votes. The Secretary of State has 8 more days to certify the statewide vote tally.
News reports may “call” elections and candidates may even concede, but election results are not final until the statewide vote has been formally certified 38 days after the election.
In years past, it has taken up to several days to find out even the semi-official winners in closely contested races.
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On Thursday, county election offices will notify the state of how many uncounted ballots remain.
What happens next?
Under California’s top-two, or “jungle,” primary system, the top two vote-getters in each statewide, legislative or congressional race will face off in the general election in November, even if they are from the same party.
Most local races will be decided once the final vote tallies are known.
Who counts ballots in California?
County elections offices handle the printing, mailing, verifying and counting of ballots.
The California Secretary of State’s Office does not process ballots, but does receive tallies from the state’s 58 counties and reports the statewide results.
When are vote-by-mail ballots counted?
State law allows vote-by-mail ballots to be opened and counted up to 29 days before the election, but those results may not be released until polls close.
In practice, the California Secretary of State’s Office said most mail-in ballots are counted on election day. Also, many mail-in ballots are dropped off at polling places that day.
Ballots postmarked on or before election day and received up to seven days later also must be counted.
When are provisional ballots counted?
“In California, provisional ballots serve as a fail-safe method of ensuring all voters who show up to the polls can cast a ballot,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.
Provisional ballots are counted after election day and after mail-in ballots are counted because officials must ensure provisional voters are registered and did not cast another ballot.
When are same-day voter registrations processed?
“Same Day voter registration, also known as conditional voter registration, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election,” officials said.
Their ballots are counted once the registrations have been processed.
The Bee’s Darrell Smith and Rosalio Ahumada contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 1:29 PM with the headline “Why are so many 2026 California primary election races still up in the air?.”
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