Election had highest Ventura County turnout for a midterm primary going back as far as 1990.
County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion announced the final certification of Ventura County’s results for the June 2, 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election. The local results will be included in the California Secretary of State’s final certification of statewide election results on July 10, 2026.
Voting began May 4 with the mailing of vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters and the opening of early voting at the Ventura County Government Center. Countywide in-person voting began May 23 with the opening of 11 vote centers, including the Elections Office at the Ventura County Government Center. An additional 42 vote centers opened May 30.
Prior to certification and during the post-election canvass, reports, results, and activities were carried out according to California Elections Code including conducting the One Percent Manual Tally from June 11 to 16. A mandatory audit that confirms the accuracy of tabulated results, the One Percent Manual Tally is the post-Election Day counterpart to the Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy testing (Pre-LAT), as both processes work together to ensure accurate performance of the ballot counting equipment.
The contests in the Primary Election were comprised of three Federal, twelve State, and eight County seats. The top-two finishers in each Federal and State contest will advance to the November 3, 2026 General Election. For County contests, a candidate receiving at least 50%-plus-one vote wins the election outright, otherwise the top-two candidates advance to the General Election. Seven Ventura County seats were decided in the primary election, with only the County Superintendent of Schools race advancing to the run-off in November.
Ventura County’s turnout of 44.21% was the highest Gubernatorial Primary turnout dating back to 1990 and higher than the current total state turnout of 40.8%. A total of 232,223 ballots were cast in Ventura County of the 525,292 voters registered as of the 15-Day Report of Registration on May 18, 2026. Of that turnout, 91.5%, or 212,406 voters, utilized their vote by mail ballot while 8.5%, or 19,817, voted in-person.
“This election, as with every election, I am so proud of the hard working and dedicated group that makes it all happen: the full-time Elections team, the Clerk and Recorder division staff who always contribute to the effort, the temporary workers we hire from the community, and our fellow County employees from other agencies who step up to help. Everyone puts in long days back to back for weeks on end, both before and after Election Day, in service to our community and democracy,” said Registrar Ascencion.
The certified final results are posted on the County Elections website at vote.venturacounty.gov.