How do California elections actually work? In this comprehensive California Decides video explainer, Distinguished Visiting Fellow Benjamin Ginsberg breaks down who runs the state’s elections, how ballots are counted, why results can take weeks to finalize, and what safeguards are built into the process. The series also examines debates over voter ID, mail-in ballot deadlines, ballot collection, voter eligibility, poll watchers, and the trade-offs between access, security, accuracy, and speed. Get the facts and context you need to better understand California’s election system ahead of the 2026 election.
Ben Ginsberg addresses the following issues on voting in the Golden State:
- Who runs California’s elections and does the partisan makeup of a county impact the way votes are counted?
- Who are the poll workers and poll watchers – and are they balanced between political parties?
- Why does California take several weeks to count votes?
- Why does California take weeks to finalize election results—and is the wait justified?
- How would a voter ID initiative impact California elections?
- What is ballot harvesting and does California allow this practice?
- What does the Supreme Court’s Mail-Ballot ruling mean for California?
- How does California ensure that only eligible citizens have their votes counted?
ABOUT THE SERIES
Rather than telling voters what to think, California Decides equips them with the facts, historical context, competing perspectives, and policy implications they need to make informed decisions. Through plain-language explainers, short videos, podcasts, webinars, proposition guides, data visualizations, and expert analysis, the initiative transforms complex public policy into accessible, engaging content for a broad audience.
Launching in advance of the 2026 election, California Decides will answer the questions Californians are already asking (from housing affordability and energy costs to education, public safety, state finances, and election administration) while also explaining how California government works and what the governor, Legislature, and ballot initiatives can and cannot change. More than an election resource, California Decides is intended to become Hoover’s permanent platform for California civic education: a trusted destination where voters, policymakers, journalists, educators, and community leaders can find clear, evidence-based explanations of the state’s most important challenges and the choices that will shape its future.
