Right to Vote · Episode 5 of 8 · 21 min
The Compiler's Ballot: The Top of the Ticket
Typing a home address into Elections Simplified found the voter's districts in seconds, and correctly. The eight statewide races at the top of the California ballot turned out to be where the tool knows least. In the governor's race one candidate has 34 sourced records and the other has two, and finance figures appear for some and not others. Every candidate gets the same fields, with no endorsements or predictions.
Who's who
- Xavier Becerra+1 more episodeDemocratic candidate for governor of California
- Steve HiltonRepublican candidate for governor of California
- Fiona MaDemocratic candidate for lieutenant governor
- Gloria RomeroRepublican candidate for lieutenant governor
- Shirley N. Weber+1 more episodeIncumbent Democratic secretary of state candidate
- Rob BontaIncumbent Democratic attorney general candidate
- Eleni KounalakisDemocratic candidate for treasurer
- Malia M. CohenIncumbent Democratic state controller candidate
Where it happens
- California+30 more episodesEight statewide offices on the November 2026 ballot
Timeline
- June 2, 2026California primary; top two in each statewide race advance
- August 27, 2026Secretary of State certifies the general-election candidate list
- September 26, 2026State campaign-finance panels last updated
- October 3, 2026Snapshot date for all figures in the episode
- October 5, 2026California vote-by-mail ballots begin going out
- November 3, 2026Election Day
Still debated
The tool does not explain why some candidates show finance as not available; committee-matching gaps in state data are the likeliest reason but an inference. Its issue tags are the tool's own classifications, and counts change daily.
