With Nov. 5 Election Day bearing down, many voters still have questions about the election process and when results will be available in key races, from the hotly-contested contests for Congress to recalls of two East Bay progressives. Some races may be quickly-called blowouts but others will go down to the wire, decided by additional vote tallies in the days to follow.
We asked for the details from the Secretary of State’s office and election officials in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties. Here’s what they told us.
Q What results get reported the night of the election?
A Officials in all four counties plan to release their first updates shortly after 8 p.m. Those tallies will include mailed-in ballots received before Election Day. Elections staff have been imploring residents to vote early, to avoid a flood of ballots on Election Day. Mailed ballots that arrive on Election Day, and those postmarked by Election Day that arrive after, will be tallied in the days after Election Day, as elections staff check that the signatures on the ballot envelope match those of the registered voters.
It remains to be seen how many ballots will arrive at elections offices before Tuesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, for example, about 25% of registered voters had cast their ballots in Santa Clara County, and 31% had in Contra Costa County.
Q When will registrar’s offices post results on Election Night?
A After voting ends at 8 p.m., elections staff will report results from ballots that arrived before Election Day, or were cast in-person that day at area vote centers. That could stretch into the morning. In San Mateo County, staff expect to wrap up that process by 11 p.m. or midnight, said assistant chief elections officer Jim Irizarry. But officials in Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties expected that to take until 2 a.m. or wouldn’t provide a timetable at all.
Q How much of the total vote will Election Day results represent?
A This will depend on a few factors: the rate of early voting, how many voters cast their ballots in person on Election Day, and how many mailed their ballot. Those factors are hard to predict.
In Santa Clara County, registrar spokesperson Steve Goltiao expects roughly half of voters will vote on Election Day. In Contra Costa County, the first batch of election results could reflect up to 60% of total turnout, said assistant registrar Helen Nolan.
Q When will officials post results after Election Day?
A The secretary of state posts statewide and congressional race results regularly as counties send their tallies.
For local results, it will depend on your county. The week after Election Day, Santa Clara County will post results daily by 5 p.m., as staff tally and report mailed-in ballots. Alameda County and San Mateo counties plan to post the following Thursday, Friday and Monday. Alameda County registrar Tim Dupuis may change that schedule “depending on the workflow,” he said. Contra Costa County officials will post results twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, for two weeks. After that, they’ll post results on Fridays until they certify results.
Q When will the official results from all the ballots be reported?
A All counties have until Dec. 5 to certify their election results. Elections staff expect to use those 30 days. In San Mateo County, Irizarry said that long time period allows voters to sign their ballot envelope if they forgot to do so, as part of the ballot curing process.
Q Why do news organizations announce winners in races when votes are still being counted?
A Nationally, news outlets including The Associated Press often call races before officials have finished counting votes, relying on vote count totals, the location of votes counted, the method of voting, and more. Locally, so does the Bay Area News Group.
Journalists examine the number of votes that remain to be counted and conduct an analysis. If there are too few remaining votes to boost a trailing candidate, news organizations may announce a winner.
Q On my ballot, Vice President Kamala Harris is listed last in the list of presidential candidates. How is the order of candidates decided?
A That’s not intentional. In August, the Secretary of State’s office held a randomized drawing to set the order of presidential candidates on the ballot. That drawing placed Harris last on the list.
Q Where can I check election results for my county?
A For results in statewide races and measures and Congressional districts, the secretary of state will post results online at https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/
For local election results, county registrars will update their results online at these sites:
https://vote.santaclaracounty.gov/elections
https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections
https://smcacre.gov/elections/november-5-2024-presidential-general-election
https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/election-information/elections?id=252#