5 Things To Know About California’s Election Results

Updated at 6:35 a.m.

Results are continuing to come in and ballots are still being counted in California, which means that some races are far from decided in the state and the nation.

Here’s a roundup of where election results stand in California as of Wednesday evening.

Joe Biden Is Projected To Win California In The Presidential Race

Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to win the presidential race in California, which would secure him 55 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the race against President Donald Trump. Biden’s projected win was called fairly early in the night, but his win in California is far from a surprise. 

The presidential race had not yet been called as of Friday morning, and as votes continue to be counted across the nation, including in several swing states, it’s likely to take longer than usual to know who has won the presidency. 

President Trump falsely claimed Tuesday night that he had won the election. This is not true, as millions of votes are still being counted in key states, including Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Props 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25 Projected To Fail, While Props 17, 22, 24 Projected To Pass

Propositions 16, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 25 are projected to have been rejected by California voters. 

Proposition 16 would have lifted California’s ban on affirmative action practices in schools and public agencies. Proposition 20 would have rolled back changes to California’s sentencing laws, making certain misdemeanor crimes into felonies. Proposition 21 would have allowed counties and cities in California to enact stricter rent control policies. Proposition 23 would have required dialysis clinics to have a licensed physician, nurse or physician assistant on site during kidney dialysis treatment. Proposition 25 would have repealed the cash bail system in California

Proposition 17, which is projected to pass, would allow people on parole for felony convictions to vote after their state or federal prison term ends. Proposition 22 is also projected to pass. This measure would allow app-based rideshare and delivery companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to continue to classify their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, which allows them to provide them with less comprehensive benefits. Proposition 24, also projected to pass, would expand the state’s consumer privacy laws.

Head here for a more detailed breakdown of where each of California’s 2020 ballot propositions stands. 

Some House Races Called, But Some Key Seats Remain To Be Decided

While many House of Representatives races have already been called across California, a few potentially competitive districts still remain to be seen.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa is projected to win his race against Democratic challenger Audrey Denney in Northern California’s District 1 as of Friday morning. 

Meanwhile, the race in District 4 between incumbent Rep. Tom McClintock and Democratic challenger Brynne Kennedy is still yet to be called. As of Friday morning, McClintock held 54% of the vote and Kennedy 46%.

The race in District 21 between incumbent Democratic Rep. T.J. Cox and Republican David Valadao is also yet to be called. The same two candidates met in 2018 when Valadao was the incumbent and Cox the challenger, but now the roles have reversed. As of Friday morning, Valadao held 52% of the vote and Cox 48% in the tight race.

Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, who represents Sacramento, is projected to win the election to retain her seat against Republican opponent Chris Bish. 

Democrats Leading In Many State Senate Races

Two of the highest-profile legislative races are in Southern California and had not yet been called as of Wednesday evening. In Senate District 29, which straddles parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, incumbent Sen. Ling Ling Chang (R–Diamond Bar) had 49% of the vote to Democrat Josh Newman’s 51% with more than half the expected votes tallied late Tuesday night. About 82-91% of the vote has been counted, according to projections from Political Data, Inc.

In the closely-watched Senate District 37 in Orange County, incumbent GOP Sen. John Moorlach had 48% of the vote and Democratic challenger Dave Min had 52% with about 87-95% of the vote counted. 

Incumbent Democratic State Sen. Bill Dodd is projected to win the race to keep his Senate District 3 seat representing portions of Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. Dodd had won 70% of the vote compared to Republican challenger Carlos Santamaria’s 30% as of Friday morning.

The race for San Joaquin County’s Senate District 5 has not yet been called. As of Wednesday evening, Democratic incumbent State Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman held 58% of the vote and GOP challenger Jim Ridenour held 42% with about 56-62% of the vote tallied.

In Senate District 1, incumbent GOP Sen. Brian Dahle is projected to win against challenger Pamela Swartz.

Millions Of Votes Are Potentially Yet To Be Counted Across The State

Election results are expected to come in more slowly this year thanks to the increase in voting by mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many races have not yet been called in California and across the nation, and many ballots have not yet been counted as election officials continue to work to process them.

In California, millions of votes could remain to be counted in the state, according to projections from Political Data, Inc of the total number of votes to be cast. Mail-in ballots in California that are postmarked on Election Day or before and arrive no more than 17 days after the election will be counted, meaning votes will continue to come in across the state in the coming weeks.

Keep up to date on races across California and Nevada on our election results page, where you can view your own personalized races and can see the projected number of ballots left to be counted in each race.