November 3, 2026, General Election: Basic Timeline
Disclaimer: The dates listed below are not guaranteed to be correct and are still subject to change, particularly if new legislation is passed.
For most dates that fall on a Saturday, Sunday, or County holiday, use the next regular business day for transactions (with some exceptions – see † and ‡ below). County holidays during this period include:
- July 3, 2026 - Independence Day - Observed
- Sept. 7, 2026 - Labor Day
- Nov. 11, 2026 - Veterans Day
- Nov. 26, 2026 - Thanksgiving Day
- Nov. 27, 2026 - Day After Thanksgiving
| Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| Ongoing | Local measure letter assignments (letters are assigned alphabetically in the order they are filed) |
| 7/1/26 | Notification deadline for special districts |
| 7/6/26 * | “Specifications of the election order” deadline for school districts * |
| 7/13/26-8/7/26 | Candidate nominations filing period |
| 8/7/26 | Consolidation deadline |
| 8/7/26 | Deadline for governing bodies to submit measures |
| 8/7/26 | Tax rate statement deadline (bond measures only) |
| 8/10/26-8/12/26 | Extended candidate nominations filing period (only applies to offices with an incumbent who did not file for re-election by the close of the standard candidate nominations filing period) |
| 8/12/26 | Deadline to amend/withdraw measures |
| 8/13/26 | Random alphabet drawing |
| 8/14/26 | Argument deadline |
| 8/14/26 | Impartial analysis deadline |
| 8/21/26 | Rebuttal deadline (only if opposing arguments are filed) |
| 9/7/26-10/20/26 | Write-in period (except for superior court judge seats for which only the incumbent filed) |
| 9/19/26 † | Deadline to send ballots to currently registered military/overseas voters † |
| 9/24/26 | Target date to begin mailing County Voter Information Guides |
| 10/5/26 | Voting by mail opens; first day voters can pick up Vote-by-Mail ballots at the Registrar of Voters Office |
| 10/5/26 | First day Registrar of Voters may begin to process Vote-by-Mail ballots |
| 10/6/26-11/3/26 | Official Ballot Drop Boxes are open daily 24/7 until 8 p.m. on Election Day |
| 10/19/26 | Standard voter registration deadline |
| 10/20/26-11/3/26 | Conditional (a.k.a. “same day”) voter registration period |
| 10/24/26-11/2/26 ‡ | 11-day Vote Centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ‡ |
| 10/27/26 | Last day for voters to request a ballot be mailed to them |
| 10/31/26-11/2/26 ‡ | 4-Day Vote Centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (supplementing 11-Day Vote Centers that have already been open since 10/24/26) ‡ |
| 11/3/26 | Election Day: All Vote Centers (both 11-Day and 4-Day) are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| 11/10/26 | Vote-by-Mail ballots which are postmarked on or before Election Day must be received by this date in order to be counted |
| 12/3/26 | Deadline to send certified election results to special district governing boards |
* The standard “specifications of the election order” deadline for school districts would be July 3, 2026 (123 days before Election Day), but since that day is a County holiday (Independence Day - Observed), the deadline is moved back to the next business day (July 6, 2026).
† Although the deadline to send ballots to currently registered military/overseas voters falls on a Saturday (9/19/26), because the deadline is set by federal election law, it does not move to the next business day.
‡ 11-Day Vote Centers and 4-Day Vote Centers are open every day in the date ranges shown, including Saturdays and Sundays.
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