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CA · official administration profile

Who runs elections
in California?

Statewide authority, local administration structure, official voter links, and policy summaries from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and NCSL.

Official state election website ↗Vote.gov registration guide ↗
STATEWIDE CHIEF ELECTION OFFICE

Secretary of State

The title is reproduced from the March 2026 EAC/NCSL profile. Use the official state website for the current officeholder, contacts, election notices, and election-specific deadlines.

Open California's election website →
WHO RUNS ELECTIONS LOCALLY

County Clerk, Registrar of Voters

58 local election-administration jurisdictions are reported in the official profile. An address is required to resolve which local authority serves a voter.

Resolve from an address →
What this office actually does

Local Election Official: powers, limits, and control

Administers elections under state and local law, often year-round, through voter-list work, equipment, ballots, poll workers, reporting, canvass, and certification processes.

COMMONLY CAN

Maintain voter records and prepare election materials as assigned by law.

DOES NOT CONTROL ALONE

Change election law, eligibility rules, district boundaries, or certification standards at personal discretion.

Read the source-backed office guide →
State policy snapshot · not legal advice

How voting is administered in California

These values are reproduced from the EAC/NCSL comparison profile. Asterisks refer to footnotes in the official PDF; always confirm election-specific dates and eligibility with the government office.

Primary systemTop-two
Registration deadline policy15 days before Election Day
Same-day registrationPermitted
Early in-person votingBegins 29 days before Election Day
No-excuse absentee votingPermitted; ballots are mailed to all active registered voters
Mail-ballot return policySeven days after Election Day*
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission / NCSL State Election Profile for California ↗ · published March 2026 · verified 2026-08-24. Election.org has not generalized these rules beyond the source language.