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What’s Left to Count/Results Posting Schedule

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The Unofficial Election Results report is updated at 5 p.m. each weekday until the election is certified by the Registrar of Voters on or before July 2. After updated results are posted, a What's Left to Process report is updated as well at ocvote.gov/results/whats-left-to-count. 

As of 5 p.m., June 3, more than 544,000 ballots have been counted and about 270,900 Vote-By-Mail and provisional ballots are left to process countywide. We do not estimate how many ballots remain for a specific contest. 

The most recent unofficial results of the 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election can be found on the Registrar of Voters' website at ocvote.gov/results. 

Note: Our Unofficial Election Results only includes ballots cast in Orange County. The overall results of statewide contests or for districts that cross county lines can be viewed on the Secretary of State's website at electionresults.sos.ca.gov.



Bob Page
Registrar of Voters
 
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ROV will conduct its 1% Manual Tally precinct draw on June 4 at 11 a.m.
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Canvass Activities – Observation & Random Draws for Audit
Canvass Activities – Observation & Random Draws for Audit

To ensure the accuracy of the 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election results in the county, Registrar of Voters conducts two audits during the Official Election Canvass. 

Registrar of Voters will conduct its One Percent Manual Tally precinct draw today, June 4 at 11 a.m.  We will also randomly select the ballots for the Risk Limiting Audit on June 5 at 10 a.m. We expect to start hand counting or manually reviewing ballots on June 12 for the One Percent Manual Tally. 

1% Manual Tally 

We will randomly select at least 1% of all precincts in the county. All ballots within the randomly selected precincts will be manually tallied by four-person teams and compared to results. 

Risk-Limiting Audit  

Using 10-sided dice, we'll generated a 20-digit random seed number. Audit software will use the seed number to randomly select ballots for manual examination by four-person teams to reach a confidence level that the outcome of a specific contest is correct. 

The public is welcome to attend and observe these important steps in the election verification process in person at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Bldg. C, Santa Ana, or via live stream at ocvote.gov/observe. Those attending in person may have the opportunity to roll the dice that randomly select the precincts. 

Video recordings of the random draws will be available at ocvote.gov/observe.  

For more information on the audits, visit ocvote.gov/audit. 
Why Does It Take Four Weeks to Count Ballots?
Why Does It Take Four Weeks to Count Ballots?

While California elections law for the 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election prohibits the Registrar of Voters from certifying Orange County election results before June 26, all but a small number of ballots will be in the results much earlier. 

Registrar of Voters does not count ballots slowly. And our counting has not slowed since California law required counties to mail a ballot to all active registered voters. 

Since 2020 in each regular statewide election, the Registrar of Voters has reported the votes on at least 95% of all ballots counted from four to nine days after Election Day. 

During the 2018 General Election, the votes from 95% of all ballots counted were not reported until 18 days after Election Day. This was due to the high number of provisional ballots cast in that election – 117,188 provisional ballots. 

Orange County’s adoption of the California Voter’s Choice Act with Vote Centers and the use of electronic voter rosters on poll books have significantly reduced the number of provisional ballots cast in Orange County and allowed us to start processing them earlier. The most provisional ballots cast in an election since 2020 was 38,804 during the 2024 Presidential General Election. 

When California elections officials finish counting all ballots is primarily a product of: 

  • The deadline for California voters to cast a Vote-By-Mail ballot to be eligible to be counted 
  • Must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the county elections official from the USPS or other bona fide mail carrier up to seven days after Election Day 
  • When California voters cast their Vote-By-Mail ballots 
  • Some counties in prior elections have received half of all their Vote-By-Mail ballots on or after Election Day 
  • How many days California provides voters to cure a signature challenge to their Vote-By-Mail ballot 
  • For the 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election, California set the cure deadline at 5 p.m. 22 days after Election Day (June 24)
Vote-By-Mail Processing – Signature Verification
Vote-By-Mail Processing – Signature Verification

Trained Registrar of Voters staff carefully compare the signature on each Vote-By-Mail and provisional ballot envelope to the voter’s signatures contained in the voter registration file.  

State law requires staff to look for similar characteristics when comparing signatures, not to make an exact match. Similar characteristics may include:  

  • How the “t's” are crossed, “i's” are dotted, or loops are made on letters 
  • Initial strokes and connecting strokes of the signature  
  • Similar endings such as an abrupt end, a long tail, or loop back around  

Staff must also consider explanations for discrepancies in signatures, such as:  

  • Evidence of trembling or shaking in a signature could be health-related or the result of aging 
  • The voter's signature style may have changed over time  

If our trained staff find the signature on the envelope compares with the voter’s signatures in the registration file, the ballot is extracted from the envelope.  

If a voter forgot to sign their ballot return envelope or if three Registrar of Voters’ staff members find the signature on their ballot envelope significantly differs from all signatures in their voter registration file, we will send the voter a notice by first-class mail giving them an opportunity to cure the signature issue.  

If the voter provided a phone number or email address with their voter registration, we will also call or email the voter.  
Verifying Vote-By-Mail Ballot Postmarks
Verifying Vote-By-Mail Ballot Postmarks

Registrar of Voters maintains the integrity of your Vote-By-Mail ballot throughout the election process.  

After additional voted 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election ballots are collected from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) each day after Election Day up until June 9, our team carefully reviews each ballot envelope to confirm it was postmarked by June 2.   

Ballots initially identified as having a postmark after June 2 are stamped “Received Too Late” and then undergo an additional verification process to ensure accuracy and confirm that they did not meet the required postmark date. Too Late ballot envelopes remain sealed with the ballots inside so they cannot be counted.  

Ballots with an eligible postmark are loaded into a mail sorter that captures an image of the voter’s signature and scans a barcode on the outside of the envelope to record that the voter cast a ballot.  

To learn more about ballot processing, review the Life of a Vote-By-Mail Ballot fact sheet on our website. Visit ocvote.gov/voting and then scroll down near the bottom of the page to click on the Life of a Vote-By-Mail Ballot “Learn More” button.
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