Happy Election Day! Abridged by PBS KVIE is here all day and night — ready to bring you updates from the polls and through early returns Tuesday evening. Check back here.
11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3
Sacramento voters brave sprinkles to turn in their ballots
Election officials in the Sacramento region are reporting steady but mostly normal traffic at voting centers. In Placer County, election spokesperson Stacy Robinson said there were no long lines reported in the morning but noted the mountain forecast, which shows afternoon rain. “We’re watching the weather in Tahoe carefully but don’t expect any issues for voters thus far,” she said in an email to Abridged.
In Sacramento, voters braved morning sprinkles to cast their ballots. Election workers at the Murph-Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Highlands reported semi-high traffic. The volume of voters dropping mail-in ballots was especially high compared to recent days, they said.
Voter Jane Kamus dropped off her mail-in ballot around 10:45. She’s been a frequent voter at the church, usually coming here to vote with her husband who was sick today. “I come here every year with my husband,’ she said. “We walk up the street. Just dropped off my mail in ballot and crossing my fingers.”
8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3
Polls opened a little over an hour ago. Voters planning to get in line today in the Sacramento region may need to pack an umbrella. The National Weather Service predicts rain midday.
While we don’t know yet how many voters will turn out on Election Day, the days leading up to it have outpaced 2022, according to Political Data Intelligence, which tracks turnout across California.
5 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3
Still need to vote? You have (some) time
When are polls open?
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can drop off your filled-out ballot or vote in-person at a voting center.
To find a voting center near you, use the California Secretary of State’s polling location search tool. As long as you’re in line by 8 p.m., your vote will be counted.
Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by your county elections office by Nov. 10.
The Secretary of State recommends asking a postal employee for a manual postmark if you choose to drop off your ballot today. The safer option to make sure your vote counts is to use a drop box in-person on Election Day.
Help with your ballot
Abridged by PBS KVIE’s nonpartisan, interactive 2026 Voter Guide will get you up to speed on local candidates, ballot measures and the races you’ll be voting on.
You can find the voter guide here. Just type in your address. If we have reporting on the race, it will be linked.
At abridged.org/vote, you’ll also find our coverage of key races across Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties.
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Follow along with Abridged by PBS KVIE on Election Day
Abridged by PBS KVIE reporters and photographers are dispatched across the four-county region, keeping an eye on polling locations and campaign parties.
They will send updates to editors in our newsroom, who will post here in this story.
The first batch of early returns is expected at 8:15 p.m. We’ll update with these unofficial results, roughly every hour through midnight.
We will also go live from the field and the newsroom throughout the night. Make sure you follow Abridged by PBS KVIE on Instagram and Facebook.
Key races to watch in the Sacramento region
Abridged by PBS KVIE is covering the races most important to the Sacramento region, including California’s local congressional districts, state assembly and senate contests, a competitive Sacramento County supervisor battle and noteworthy city council races in the four-county area.
They include:
U.S. House California District 7
The race for California’s 7th Congressional District features Rep. Doris Matsui, a Democrat and longtime member of Congress, and Mai Vang, a Sacramento City Council member running on progressive platforms considered further left than her incumbent opponent.
U.S. House California District 6
What began as a crowded primary field to represent Congressional District 6 has resulted in an apparently close head-to-head contest between Rep. Kevin Kiley and Dr. Richard Pan.
Sacramento County supervisor — District 1
Flojaune “Flo” Cofer and Eric Guerra emerged from the June election as the top two candidates for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 1, forcing a runoff as neither candidate cleared the 50% threshold required to win the race outright.
Sacramento region city council races
This election will decide city council races throughout the four-county area, including several that have garnered significant local interest.
- In Rancho Cordova, longtime Councilmember Linda Budge faces two challengers — Tegan Mauldin and Lilia Darbinyan — for the council’s District 5 seat. Budge, a council member since 2006, seeks her seventh term. Meanwhile, Mauldin and Darbinyan argue now is the time for a younger generation to take on city leadership.
- The Lincoln City Council has a contentious race brewing, as Christine Colvin Treshchuk challenges Councilmember Holly Andreatta, who Lincoln police investigated after a confrontation in which the incumbent claims no wrongdoing.
- A race for the Roseville City Council drew controversy when challenger David Nelson accused city officials of sinking city resources into debunking his claims in support of his opponent, Anne Carpenter, who most current council members have endorsed.
- Voters in Roseville are also tasked with deciding whether to approve pay raises that would quadruple the monthly pay for City Council members.
Measure W in Davis — Willowgrove
Davis voters shot down plans for a housing development at the polls in June. But a new ballot measure, pitching the same voter base on a different housing plan, appears to have a better chance of approval.
Here’s what Davis residents and voters should know about Measure W and its plans to develop Willowgrove, which would include building more than 1,200 homes.
Read more about the key races we are covering here.
Does Abridged by PBS KVIE do endorsements?
Nope! Let us explain.
Newspapers have traditionally endorsed their favored candidates, explaining who they think should win and why. Reputable outlets do their due diligence in vetting the candidates, asking tough questions and sharing informed opinions with readers. The decisions on who to endorse are typically made by a leadership team or group of opinion columnists, referred to as an editorial board.
At Abridged by PBS KVIE, our objective is to remain wholly nonpartisan. We don’t publish opinion pieces in any fashion, including editorials. We want you to have the information you need to form your own opinion without swaying your mind one way or the other.
When will Abridged by PBS KVIE call local races?
Another thing news outlets traditionally do: Call races. You’re probably familiar with news organizations such as the Associated Press, The New York Times, Fox News and CNN declaring winners starting as early as the end of Election Day.
At Abridged, we rely on the Associated Press to call national and key state races, like the governor and U.S. House.
On contests like school boards, local bond measures or county boards of supervisors and city council, Abridged will make a “call” once enough votes have been counted that the race couldn’t mathematically go any other way. Our reporters and editors track vote tallies through local election offices. We do not speculate or predict.
A good reminder: Just because a race is called by a news outlet, it doesn’t mean the result is official. State and national election officials must certify the results.
