UPDATED — November 4, 2026, 2:53 p.m. Pacific. The California Secretary of State’s machine-readable preliminary file lists 3,706,839 Yes votes (50.3%) and 3,658,414 No votes (49.7%) on Proposition 5, an unofficial Yes lead of 48,425 votes. The file was generated at 2:53:17 p.m. PT. These returns are not certified, and counties may continue processing eligible ballots.
Updated November 4, 2026, 7:21 a.m. Pacific: In KQED’s later statewide tally, Proposition 5 has 3,698,603 Yes votes (50.3%) and 3,647,576 No votes (49.6%). The unofficial Yes lead is 51,027 votes. The Associated Press estimated that about 56.97% of the eventual vote had been counted at that time; this is an estimate, not a statement of certified turnout. Source: KQED election results, update time 7:21 a.m. PT. The earlier snapshot and its 32,968-vote margin appear below for comparison.
Earlier November 4 overnight snapshot (historical, superseded)
The San Francisco Standard’s statewide results table, posted with its November 3 late-night election coverage, lists 3,573,010 Yes votes (50.2%) and 3,540,042 No (49.8%), a total of 7,113,052 votes in that count. With such a narrow percentage gap, uncounted valid ballots may change which side is ahead.
What Proposition 5 would change
According to the California Secretary of State’s Official Voter Information Guide, the measure would remove the separate replacement-candidate question from statewide recall ballots. If a governor were recalled, the lieutenant governor would take over under the amendment; vacancies involving other recalled statewide officers would be filled through the processes specified by law. A No vote would preserve the existing practice of asking voters who should replace a recalled officer at the same election.
Arguments and limitations
Supporters say separating removal and succession could avoid choosing a replacement with a small share of the vote and reduce some election costs. Opponents argue that it reduces voters’ direct choice of replacement at the recall itself. These are campaign arguments, not findings adopted by California58. Fiscal effects are uncertain and depend on future recalls, according to the official ballot analysis.
The Secretary of State’s official statewide canvass will establish the final result; election-night news numbers should never be presented as certification.
Sources: San Francisco Standard statewide preliminary results and California Secretary of State official Proposition 5 guide. Snapshot as reported overnight November 3–4, 2026.
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