California Secretary of State election, 2026
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←2022 |
| California Secretary of State |
|---|
 |
| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| California executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
California is holding an election forsecretary of state onNovember 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 6, 2026.
There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia definesofficial candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to completeBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
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No candidate in this race has completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also:Voting in California
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for California Secretary of State
IncumbentShirley Weber defeatedRobert Bernosky in the general election for California Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Shirley Weber (D) | 60.1 | 6,462,164 |
 | Robert Bernosky (R) | 39.9 | 4,298,530 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 10,760,694 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Secretary of State
The following candidates ran in the primary for California Secretary of State on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shirley Weber (D) | 58.9 | 4,016,798 |
| ✔ | | Robert Bernosky (R) | 18.8 | 1,281,587 |
 | Rachel Hamm (R) | 12.1 | 822,978 | |
| James Paine (R) | 3.7 | 254,222 | ||
 | Gary Blenner (G) | 3.0 | 205,630 | |
| Raul Rodriguez Jr. (R) | 2.6 | 176,059 | ||
 | Matthew Cinquanta (Independent) | 0.9 | 59,481 | |
 | Desmond Silveira (No party preference) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 235 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 6,816,990 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for California Secretary of State
IncumbentAlex Padilla defeatedMark Meuser in the general election for California Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Alex Padilla (D) | 64.5 | 7,909,521 |
 | Mark Meuser (R) | 35.5 | 4,362,545 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 12,272,066 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Secretary of State
The following candidates ran in the primary for California Secretary of State on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Padilla (D) | 52.6 | 3,475,633 |
| ✔ | | Mark Meuser (R) | 31.0 | 2,047,903 |
 | Ruben Major (D) | 5.4 | 355,036 | |
| Raul Rodriguez Jr. (R) | 5.0 | 330,460 | ||
 | Gail Lightfoot (L) | 2.4 | 155,879 | |
 | Michael Feinstein (G) | 2.1 | 136,725 | |
 | C.T. Weber (Peace and Freedom Party) | 0.9 | 61,375 | |
 | Erik Rydberg (G) | 0.7 | 48,705 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. | Total votes: 6,611,716 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
| Secretary of State of California, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Alex Padilla | 53.6% | 3,799,711 | |
| Republican | Pete Peterson | 46.4% | 3,285,334 | |
| Total Votes | 7,085,045 | |||
| Election results viaCalifornia Secretary of State | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections:Solid,Trending,Battleground, andNew. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election,71.9% of Californians lived in one of the state's25 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and19.5% lived in one of8 New Republican counties. Overall, California wasSolid Democratic, having voted forHillary Clinton (D) in 2016,Joe Biden (D) in 2020, andKamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| California county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| New Republican | 8 | 19.5% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 23 | 8.0% | |||||
| Battleground Republican | 2 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 33 | 28.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
California presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16Democratic wins
- 15Republican wins
- 1other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[1] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also:Governor of California
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of January 2026.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 43 | 45 |
| Republican | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 52 | 54 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor |  Gavin Newsom |
| Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta |
State legislature
California State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
California State Assembly
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | |
Trifecta control
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | United States | |
| Population | 39,538,223 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 155,858 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 44% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.5% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 15.3% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 17.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 16.3% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 39.8% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 84.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 36.5% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 12% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | ||
Secretary of State elections in 2026
There are 26secretary of state seats on the ballot in2026.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Progressive Party
