CALIFORNIA — November 5, 2026. California’s November 3 election has produced hundreds of local races and 14 statewide propositions, but the earliest reported leaders are not the same thing as certified results. From Los Angeles and San Diego to Fresno and the remote Eastern Sierra, county election officials are still receiving, validating and counting ballots. California58 compiled the following time-stamped, county-specific outstanding-ballot estimates and linked each to its detailed local coverage.
Where large outstanding ballot estimates have been reported
Important: these are not interchangeable real-time numbers. Some county estimates were issued November 4, while the Inyo page was viewed November 5. Categories and update schedules differ. We have not added the numbers into a purported statewide total because doing so without synchronized reporting times could exaggerate or misstate the outstanding count.
| County | Reported outstanding ballots | Source snapshot | California58 reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 842,000 | Nov. 4 registrar estimate | Local count and sources |
| San Diego | about 540,000 | Nov. 4 projected backlog | Local count and sources |
| Fresno | about 112,000 | Nov. 4, 2 a.m. county estimate | Local count and sources |
| Imperial | about 17,000 | Nov. 4 county statement | Local count and sources |
| Inyo | at least 3,338 listed | Nov. 5 outstanding-ballot page | Local count and sources |
Los Angeles: 842,000 estimated pending in November 4 count
The country’s largest local governments produce complicated election canvasses. Los Angeles County’s November 4 registrar update listed 2,279,750 already counted ballots and an estimated 842,000 outstanding, broken down into 800,000 mail, 37,000 conditional-registration and 5,000 provisional ballots. This estimate was not broken out by city. It is therefore wrong to take 842,000 and describe them as ballots remaining in the Los Angeles mayoral race, or in a close Pasadena Measure PFD vote. The November 4 report is a historical snapshot; check the county’s newest release for subsequent changes.
San Diego: an estimated 540,000 and very close municipal races
San Diego County’s registrar and KPBS reporting from November 4 put the projected outstanding ballot figure near 540,000. In San Marcos, an early mayoral margin was just 36 votes, while a separate council district had an eight-vote margin. It is impossible to allocate all countywide outstanding ballots to those city races. The proper reporting method is to compare each later official district total with the earlier time-stamped figure.
Fresno: 112,000 waiting for processing as Measure S is watched
The Fresno County elections office estimated 108,000 Election Day mail ballots and 4,000 conditional or provisional ballots still requiring processing as of 2 a.m. November 4. It also warned of ballots requiring signature corrections and late-arriving eligible postmarked mail beyond that estimate. The numbers matter for the proposed transportation tax, Measure S, and small city council districts, but the remaining voters’ choices cannot be presumed.
Imperial: challenged ballot envelopes and the 17,000-ballot estimate
The Imperial County registrar estimated approximately 17,000 ballots still to be processed on November 4, with roughly 225 separate challenged ballots needing attention for missing or mismatched signatures. A challenged ballot is not automatically a fraudulent vote; eligible voters can often correct signature issues. Imperial plans updated tallies at 5 p.m. on weeknights. These outstanding figures are relevant to county supervisors and Measure S, as well as city contests in Calexico and El Centro.
Inyo: why a tiny county can still have major local uncertainty
Inyo County’s elections office lists 3,192 previously returned mail ballots, 120 provisional or conditional ballots, and 26 challenged ballots still being processed. Those listed categories total 3,338, with additional qualifying late-arriving mail still unknown. The District 3 supervisor lead has already reversed between election-night reports, and Proposition 39 was divided by just 26 votes in the fourth county report. The election office expects another update November 6.
Other counties do not vanish from the map
The pending-ballot table above is a five-county sample for which numerical outstanding estimates were source-verified, not a claim that the other 53 counties have completed counting. California58 has separate reporting on Santa Cruz County and Sacramento County, where election-night participation figures have been published but should not be confused with a complete current outstanding-ballot estimate. Solano’s separate November 4 account also documents an earlier estimate. Readers should keep local stories grouped by the appropriate city, county, school district and district boundaries.
When the outcomes become official
The California Secretary of State explains that county officials have 30 days from November 3 to process valid ballots and audit the election. County official results must be complete by December 3, 2026, with statewide results certified on December 11. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by November 10 can still qualify, and eligible provisional and signature-cured ballots also require review. The next time a candidate is reported to have gained or lost ground, readers should demand an exact report timestamp and a county-level source rather than a recycled screenshot.
Editorial methodology: county announcement times differ. All numbers are dated estimates or unofficial reported vote totals. This tracker is not a certified statewide ballot-count total and does not predict any election outcome. Sources linked in the text and the county-specific articles.
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