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2026 California General Election

State Assembly, District 78

Counting Page updated Updates every 15 minutes

Results are unofficial until certified. California counts mail ballots for weeks; totals change until certification on December 11.

State Assembly

State Assembly, District 78

  • Chris WardD144,13073.3%Leading
  • Payton GalvezR52,43326.7%

Ward leads Galvez by 91,697 votes (46.7 points).

Late count: Ward took 78.1% of the 76,311 votes counted since election night, Galvez 21.9%.

All precincts in · ballots still being counted

As of · California Secretary of State · unofficial

How the count came in Chris Ward has led since the first report.
0%20%40%60%80%Ward 73.3%Galvez 26.7%8:15 pmNov 12100% of precincts
Who’s ahead, report by report Chris Ward has not trailed Payton Galvez at any report.
+500−50Ward aheadGalvez aheadWard +46.78:15 pmNov 12
Election night and the count since Election night: Ward ahead by 48,786 votes. Counted since: Ward ahead by 42,911 votes.

Election night · 120,252 votes

Ward 70.3% · Galvez 29.7%

Counted since · 76,311 votes

Ward 78.1% · Galvez 21.9%

Net gain in each count Ward out-gained Galvez in 11 of the 11 counts.

Ward gained more · Galvez gained more

  1. 8:15 pmWard +43,974Lead: Ward +43,974
  2. 10:10 pmWard +68Lead: Ward +44,042
  3. 11:03 pmWard +134Lead: Ward +44,176
  4. 12:05 amWard +1,490Lead: Ward +45,666
  5. 1:01 amWard +1,673Lead: Ward +47,339
  6. 2:57 amWard +1,447Lead: Ward +48,786
  7. Nov 5Ward +4,543Lead: Ward +53,329
  8. Nov 6Ward +7,209Lead: Ward +60,538
  9. Nov 9Ward +19,403Lead: Ward +79,941
  10. Nov 11Ward +4,789Lead: Ward +84,730
  11. Nov 12Ward +6,967Lead: Ward +91,697

By county

County returns arrive after the first report.

Turnout so far

55.4% of registered voters

12,894,150 ballots counted in California, 55.4% of 23,273,590 registered voters.

  • 2022 final: 50.8% (11,146,620 ballots)
  • 2018 final: 64.5% (12,712,542 ballots)

Already higher than 2022’s final turnout. More ballots than in 2022 or 2018.

Counties keep counting mail and provisional ballots for weeks after election day, so this share keeps rising.

Ballots left to count

907,305 ballots left to count in California

12,709,005 counted, 907,305 left.

  • Mail ballots received by election day664,711
  • Mail ballots that arrived later or came from another county70,387
  • Provisional ballots23,943
  • Same-day registration ballots96,347
  • Ballots to remake or review51,500
  • Ballots cast at voting locations417

108,401 more ballots wait for voters to fix a signature. They are not in the count above.

CountyLeftTo fix a signatureNext update
Riverside193,50013,657Thu, Nov 12, 6:00 pm
San Diego120,0008,500Thu, Nov 12, 6:00 pm
Sacramento93,0083,500Fri, Nov 13, 4:15 pm
Sonoma43,728907Fri, Nov 13, 3:00 pm
Placer40,2971,775Fri, Nov 13, 4:00 pm
Los Angeles37,80014,500Fri, Nov 13, 5:00 pm
Fresno37,3005,200Fri, Nov 13, 5:00 pm
Ventura36,4033,610Mon, Nov 16, 5:00 pm
Stanislaus35,472949Thu, Nov 12, 7:00 pm
Tulare32,0052,240Thu, Nov 12, 7:30 pm
Kern30,0542,016Tue, Nov 17, 5:00 pm
San Luis Obispo24,739634Fri, Nov 13, 5:00 pm

41 more counties have 182,999 ballots left.

California Secretary of State, estimated unprocessed ballots, as of Nov 12, 5:35 pm. The state’s report can trail a county’s own count by up to a day.