Golden State Today

California's polls have closed for the November 5, 2024, General Election, as announced by Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. County elections officials are now tasked with counting ballots through the night.

"On Election Night, we will have a good picture of most contests, but the outcomes of close contests may take days or weeks to know the final results. This is normal," Secretary Weber stated. "By law, county elections officials have 30 days to count every valid ballot and conduct a post-election audit. California elections officials prioritize the right to vote and election security over rushing the vote count. We have a process that by law ensures both voting rights and the integrity of elections, so I would call on all Californians to be patient."

The public can access election results at ElectionResults.sos.ca.gov as counties report to the Secretary of State’s office.

Initial results include ballots received before Election Day, such as vote-by-mail ballots and early voting location ballots. County officials will also handle provisional ballots, conditional voter registration ballots (Same Day Voter Registration), and vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days after. During this period, officials reach out to voters who did not sign their vote-by-mail return envelopes or whose signatures do not match records to allow them to confirm their signature for their ballot to be counted.

Officials have until December 5 to finalize their official results following Election Day on November 5, 2024. The statewide results will be certified by Secretary Weber on December 13, 2024.