California's ballot, in plain English.
A guide for California voters. What each choice on your ballot actually does, what the candidates say in their own words, and the strongest case on both sides. No endorsements. Every claim links to its source.
Preview edition. Last updated October 30, 2026. Facts come from the official state voter guide, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and news reports quoting the candidates. If something looks wrong, check the linked source, and always read your official voter guide.
Where can I vote?
Enter your ZIP code. We'll point you to the official state tool that lists vote centers, early voting, and ballot drop-off locations near you.
Or see locations right here
Locations come from Google's election data service (provided with Democracy Works). Your address is sent there only to look up locations. We don't store it. Always double-check with the official state locator.
We don't store your ZIP code. Locations change by election, so always use the official source.
Governor
Two candidates made it past the June primary. Neither one sent in a statement for the official state voter guide, so the positions below come from their campaign websites and from interviews and debates where they spoke for themselves.
Reality check
Big promises are easy to make. Here is the question each one still has to answer. We ask the same questions of every candidate.
The 14 propositions
For each one: what a YES vote does, what a NO vote does, then tap More detail for the case for, the case against, the cost, and the fine print. The "Vote YES if" and "Vote NO if" lines sum up each side's own case. They are not endorsements.
The billionaire tax has two rivals
Prop 40 is a one-time tax on billionaires. Props 41 and 42 would each cancel it. If Prop 40 passes and one of the rivals also passes, the one with more YES votes wins. So Prop 40 could pass and still never happen.
Sources: ABC7, CalMatters
Congress
California's House districts were redrawn for this election, so you may be in a new district. Look up your district by address. We cover the five races rated closest by the Cook Political Report (ratings as of October 23), plus CA-40, where two Republicans face each other. Every other district is listed below the five profiles.
Enter your ZIP code to see which U.S. House district you vote in under the new map, and who is running.
Based on the California Senate's official ZIP code directory for the new districts voters use this year (updated February 2026). Some ZIP codes are split between districts. Your sample ballot shows your exact race.
All 52 House races
Every November matchup, with a short summary of what each candidate says they want to do. Matchups come from the state's official certified candidate list. The short title under each name is the ballot designation the candidate chose for themselves. Summaries are based on each candidate's own website, statements, questionnaires, and voting record, with sources. "Limited public platform" means we found only a little. Search by district number or a name.
Which candidate lines up with you?
Pick a race, pick the issues you care about, and answer a few questions. We compare your answers with what each candidate has said. When a candidate has no clear position, that question does not count for or against them. This shows a match, not a recommendation.
Which state should we cover next?
If this guide helps, we'll build the same thing for more states. Vote for yours. The tally is public and updates as people vote. One vote per person, and you can change it.
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How we did this
- Their words first. Candidate positions come from what the candidate said or did: campaign websites, debates, interviews, votes, and bills. We do not use attack ads or what opponents say about them.
- Official numbers. Costs come from the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office and the official voter guide.
- Both sides, same depth. Every candidate and measure gets the same template. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
- No guessing. When we could not find a clear position, we say "No clear position found."
- Researched by Claude, verified by Grok. The research and plain-English summaries were done by Claude, an AI assistant made by Anthropic, and then checked by Grok, an AI assistant made by xAI. Mistakes are still possible, so every claim links to its source for you to check.