What time do polls open and close in California on Election Day? Here's what to know.
Voters across California will be casting their ballots for some of the country's most consequential races in the 2026 primary election.
Ballots must be cast in person or returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
What time do polls open in California?
Polls across California open at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
Voters who are at a location before it opens should hear poll workers loudly announce, "The polls are open." The California Secretary of State's Office says voters cannot cast their ballots until the announcement is made.
Eligible citizens who missed the May 18 deadline to register to vote can complete the "Same Day" voter registration process on Election Day, at their local county election office or any in-person voting location within their county.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day. If voters are mailing their ballots on Election Day, it must be a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a U.S. Post Office, the Secretary of State says.
Use this link to find a polling place near you.
What time do polls close in California?
Polls across California close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
When polls are closing, a worker will come out and announce, "The polls are closed." Anyone who was in line before 8 p.m. will still be allowed to cast their ballot, the Secretary of State's Office says. Officials encourage voters to remain in line if they arrived before polls closed.
Ballots must be delivered to a polling place or a ballot drop-off box on Election Day by 8 p.m.
At 8 p.m., a poll worker will stand at the end of the line to inform anyone who has arrived after the polls are closed.
Are there exceptions to polling place hours in California?
A polling place may have its hours extended by a court order.
The Secretary of State says voters who cast their ballot during extended hours, as ordered by the court, will cast their vote using a provisional ballot.
Those ballots are stored separately from other ballots that were submitted before 8 p.m.
