LIVE: California Election Results 2024
Polls are beginning to close in some states, and as the final votes in the 2024 presidential election are counted, the US will soon have a new president.
In a deeply divided nation, the election is a true toss-up between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. Seven battleground states will decide the outcome, barring a major surprise.
In California, there are several top races to watch, including the highly competitive race for US Senate between democrat Adam Schiff and Republican baseball player Steve Garvey.
There are also several U.S. House races that are again expected to play a role in which party controls the chamber next year.
Californians will also vote on 10 propositions… the most controversial being Prop 36 which would increase penalties for theft and drug trafficking.
In LA County, voters are closely watching the DA race between incumbent George Gascón and Nathan Hochman. Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, is looking to unseat Gascón who he, along with critics, have called his approach ‘soft on crime’ and say his policies lead to an increase in crime in the county.
When do results come in?
Results will slowly come in once polls close across the U.S. The polls in California close at 8 p.m.
According to the California Secretary of State, on Election Night, county elections officials must begin reporting results to the Secretary of State no more than two hours after they begin tallying votes after the polls close. The first results are typically ballots received before Election Day, which include vote-by-mail ballots and early voting location ballots. County elections officials may begin opening and processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes up to 29 days before Election Day, but those results cannot be shared with the public until polls close.
By law, California county elections officials have 30 days, also known as the canvass period, to count every valid ballot and conduct a required post-election audit.
California, the nation’s most populous state, is consistently among the slowest to report all its election results.