Your guide to the 2026 election

KCLU is a partner with CalMatters and the California Newsroom. We're providing this handy Voter Guide to assist you in getting accurate election information. We're including an election overview here, with links to more details from CalMatters and other sources.

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Key state races

Governor

The California governor is the most powerful elected official in the nation’s most populous state, commanding a $300 billion budget. The governor shapes policy for 39 million residents, signs or vetoes legislation, appoints judges and members of regulatory agencies, and leads crisis response from wildfires to pandemics. California’s governor wields outsized national influence, making the office a launching pad for presidential ambitions. This year, a crowded Democratic field has split likely voters, allowing two Republican candidates to consistently poll near the top. The top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the November election.

Meet the gubernatorial candidates

Governor Q&As: Where the candidates stand on the issues

Lieutenant Governor

The lieutenant governor is next in line to the governor in case of an absence or vacancy, but much of the job is ceremonial. They stand in when the governor leaves California, serve as president of the state Senate with the ability to break a tie vote, and sit on California’s higher education boards. The office has a budget of nearly $3 million.

Meet the lieutenant governor candidates

Attorney General

California’s top cop carries out the governor’s law enforcement directives. The attorney general’s job touches almost every facet of life in California, from the environment to its tech sector and consumer protections. During both Trump administrations, the attorney general’s office led high-profile lawsuits defending policies favored by California Democrats.

Meet the attorney general candidates

Secretary of State

The secretary of state oversees the administration of all federal and state elections in California, including certifying candidates and initiatives for statewide ballots, issuing voter guides, and ensuring votes are properly counted. The office also handles corporate business filings, maintains the state archives, and manages a database of lobbyist registration and campaign finance disclosures.

Meet the Secretary of State candidates

Controller

California’s controller serves as the state’s chief accountant, overseeing spending in a state that makes up one of the world’s largest economies. Whoever is elected will be in charge of auditing the state’s finances and paying government employees.

Meet the controller candidates

Treasurer

As the state’s chief banker, the treasurer manages and invests unspent taxpayer money and oversees the state’s borrowing and debts. Though much of the work is technical, the official can make policy waves by launching new financial initiatives or influencing where the state invests its extra cash.

Meet the treasurer candidates

Board of Equalization (District 2)

The Board of Equalization was created to standardize property tax assessments across the state. Today, the five-member board advises county assessors, sets the taxable value of property owned by utilities and railroads, and hears some taxpayer appeals. Lawmakers stripped the agency of broader authority in 2017.

Meet the Board of Equalization candidates

Insurance Commissioner

California’s insurance commissioner regulates the largest property and casualty insurance market — including homeowners and auto — in the nation, which has been in distress for the past few years as wildfire risk has grown and insurers have pulled back from writing policies. The availability of affordable insurance affects homeowners, businesses, landlords, and their renters, local communities, and the state’s economy. Whoever wins will have to do the “second-hardest job in the state behind the governor,” said one former commissioner, especially in the wake of devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.

Meet the insurance commissioner candidates

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Local school districts in California largely control budget and curriculum decisions, leaving the state’s superintendent with limited authority. The state is now considering shifting some of the office’s responsibilities to the governor-appointed State Board of Education, shrinking the role even further. Still, the new superintendent will have a statewide platform to promote policies and a record $150 billion budget for nearly 6 million public school students. The office is nonpartisan.