California’s primary election is June 2. Here’s how to research your ballot
The 2026 midterm election primary is coming up in California, and this year’s ballot will be lengthy.
Top California executive offices, U.S. representatives and local Sacramento-area offices are up for election, and researching the options that best align with each voter’s values can be a tedious task.
Organizations around the Sacramento region are helping voters figure out the complicated web of candidate policies, including the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County.
“When we table at community events and we are encouraging voting ... many people will say, ‘Well, I don’t know what’s there,’” said Claudia Bonsignore, co-president of LWV of Sacramento County. “And I say, ‘Well, I can empathize.’”
Here’s what to know when researching your ballot this primary election season.
Do primary elections matter?
During the 2024 election, 34.9% of registered voters turned up to the ballot box during the primary election, compared to 71.4% of voters in November, according to the California Secretary of State office.
Bonsignore said that while big-ticket elections won’t be decided in the primary, it’s critical for voters to participate in their local elections.
“Many people still don’t know that in California ... in primaries in (some) local elections, if candidates get the majority, they win in June,” she said.
According to Ken Casparis, spokesperson for the Sacramento County Voter Registrations and Elections office, candidates for the Sacramento City Council and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors can win with a simple majority vote.
For state-level offices, only the superintendent of public instruction and certain legislative and congressional candidates during special elections can win under this primary format, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
This year, a special election is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 to fill the congressional seat left empty by former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s resignation earlier this month. The primary for that special election will be on Tuesday, June 16.
The 2026 primary election in California is Tuesday, June 2. Voters can register by mail or online by Monday, May 18, or they can register in-person at the polls on Election Day.
Early voting sites will open on Monday, May 4, the same day mail-in ballots will be sent out. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive before Tuesday, June 9 to be counted.
Where can I find out more about what’s on my ballot in California?
Voter organizations in California and across the country have created guides and resources online for voters to gather all the information they need to make a choice on their ballot.
The League of Women Voters has created a website, vote411.org, designed to educate voters around the country, according to Bonsignore.
“One position (the LWV) took at some point is that we don’t think candidates should have to spend money,” Bonsignore said. “Another position would be that voters should be informed so that they can make choices. What that’s led to is our current non-partisan voter information site.”
Vote411.org does not show any of the nonprofit’s endorsements or policy opinions. Rather, it provides factual information on voting and offers candidates a platform to showcase their opinions at no cost. Users can search for their address — which Bonsignore said does not get saved anywhere — and get curated information on what will be on their specific ballot.
The Sacramento LWV team emailed every candidate for the region a survey with policy questions that are then uploaded to the vote411.org website, though Bonsignore said many do not respond in time for the primary.
On the LWV website, voters can also fill out a mock ballot after learning about all their options to remember their choices when it comes time to fill out the real thing.
These other voter organizations also provide voter education resources:
- OnTheIssues.org - Candidate policy stances, political track record
- Ballotpedia.org - Information on current elected officials
- PluralPolicy.com - Current legislators and bills
Many news organizations put together voter guides — including The Bee — which include reporting from the newsroom as well as endorsements from editorial boards.
Which government resources are there to educate myself on my ballot?
For more official resources, California county election offices consolidates information about upcoming elections on their websites. Sacramento County has a Voter Portal online with a plethora of information on registering to vote, tracking a submitted mail-in ballot, determining districts based on address and plenty more.
The county also sends out a Voter Information Guide, a paper booklet with all the relevant information about the election, as well as candidate statements specifically for the districts each voter resides in.
Here are some other government-affiliated voter education resources for Californians:
- City of Sacramento - city council election and ballot measure information
- Placer County Elections Office - information for Placer County voters
- Yolo County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder-Elections office - information for Yolo County voters
- El Dorado County - information for El Dorado County voters
- California Secretary of State office - information on statewide races
- Federal Election Commission - campaign finance information
With so much information to ingest on so many races, Bonsignore emphasized that voting for every office is not required, so Californians should still vote on at least one race if they can.
“No one is grading your ballot,” she said. “There many just be one or two things on the ballot that is of a strong interest for you, and go with that.”
