Top image: The U.S. Capitol. Four Bay Area House seats will be decided Tuesday between two Democrats. Photo: Architect of the Capitol (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons
Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. What voters see on election night is only the first chapter of California’s count. Here is what to expect, hour by hour and week by week, and which Bay Area congressional races to watch. For hours, vote centers and deadlines, see our voting guide.
When the first numbers arrive
- Santa Clara County: The Registrar of Voters says its first semifinal official results will post at approximately 8:05 p.m. and will consist of mail ballots processed before Election Day. Updates follow as vote centers report. Results are posted on the registrar’s results page; the schedule is on its election observers page.
- San Mateo County: The first report comes at 8:10 p.m. It covers mail ballots received by Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the county elections office. Vote-center results begin at 9 p.m. and are updated every hour until all vote-center ballots are reported. After election night, updates are scheduled for Nov. 5, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 16, and the county certifies on Dec. 3.
Why leads can change
California counts mail ballots that arrive up to seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. That makes Nov. 10 the last day for them to arrive. Counties also process provisional ballots, same-day registrations and signature cures. State law gives counties 30 days to finish this official canvass, according to the Secretary of State. In recent California elections, ballots counted after election night have tended to lean differently from the first release, so close races may not be called for days. The Secretary of State certifies statewide results on Dec. 11.
The delegation races to watch
California’s top-two primary produced four Bay Area House races with two Democrats on the ballot, according to the state’s certified candidate list. The Chronicle’s overview covers how members of the delegation have taken sides.
11th District (San Francisco). State Sen. Scott Wiener and Supervisor Connie Chan are running for the seat Nancy Pelosi has held since 1987. Pelosi has endorsed Chan and has been phone-banking for her. A USC poll of 454 likely voters taken Oct. 16-19 had Wiener at 47% and Chan at 41%, with 9% undecided. The lead is within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 points, according to the San Francisco Standard.
14th District (Fremont, Hayward, Tri-Valley). Rep. Aisha Wahab, who won an August special election, faces Melissa Hernandez. Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Sam Liccardo have endorsed Hernandez. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Gov. Gavin Newsom back Wahab, according to Pleasanton Weekly.
4th District (Napa and the North Bay). Rep. Mike Thompson faces Eric Jones, a venture capitalist. Rep. Ro Khanna endorsed Jones on Oct. 30, after having earlier endorsed Thompson with the rest of the delegation. Thompson’s campaign says Jones and “his Silicon Valley supporters are trying to buy our congressional seat,” Axios reported. Axios also reported that polls show Jones leading.
12th District (Oakland). Rep. Lateefah Simon faces Democrat Jamie Joyce. Simon won 84.2% of the June primary vote, according to Ballotpedia.
In the South Bay’s own districts, Khanna, Lofgren, Liccardo and Reps. Kevin Mullin and Jimmy Panetta each face a Republican challenger. Statewide, voters will also decide Proposition 45, the CEQA overhaul.
The courts and the count
Several federal rulings issued last week shape the Justice Department’s role around California’s election. The department says it is acting to stop noncitizen voting. On Oct. 30, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson issued a temporary restraining order barring federal officials from threatening or pressuring California election workers. The order runs through Nov. 16, with a hearing set for Nov. 13, CBS News reported. The department called it “a two-track system of justice” and said it was “evaluating all options.” The same day, a Ninth Circuit panel rejected the department’s bid involving about 20,000 California voter records. Our full report has details. None of these rulings changes how or where to vote.
Key dates
- Nov. 3, 8 p.m.: Polls close. Anyone in line by then can still vote.
- Nov. 10: Last day for mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 to arrive.
- Nov. 13 and 16: Hearing on, and expiration of, the federal restraining order.
- Dec. 3: San Mateo County certifies its results.
- Dec. 11: The Secretary of State certifies statewide results.
The long view
These four Democrat-vs.-Democrat races are among the clearest tests of the top-two system since voters adopted it in 2010. Republicans and independents will help decide which kind of Democrat represents them. For the delegation, the results will show whether endorsements from Pelosi, Lofgren and Khanna still carry weight with voters. They will also shape the seniority and committee assignments the Bay Area takes into the next Congress.
Sources
- San Mateo County Elections, Nov. 3, 2026 results schedule
- Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, election observers and results schedule
- California Secretary of State, vote-counting process
- California Secretary of State, certified list of candidates
- San Francisco Standard, Oct. 22, 2026
- Pleasanton Weekly, Oct. 9, 2026
- Axios, Oct. 30, 2026
- Ballotpedia, California’s 12th District
- CBS News, Oct. 30, 2026
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