PUBLIC NOTICE -- Observation Schedule for November 3, 2026 General Election

Date

Wed, 08/12/2026 - 10:00

SANTA ANA, CA – Aug. 13, 2026 – The public is invited to observe as the Orange County Registrar of Voters conducts the November 3, 2026, General Election.
All ballot processing, counting, testing, and audits will take place at the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office, 1300 S. Grand Ave., Bldg. C, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Observers are also welcome to visit Vote Center and ballot drop box locations throughout the county to observe daily operations.

The start dates for significant election activities are listed below. Daily election activities are posted and updated on an observation calendar on the Registrar of Voters website – ocvote.gov/observe.

Start Date/Time	Observable Election Activity
September 29, 2026 10 a.m.	Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Test Accuracy testing of Orange County’s voting system will start with the preparation of test ballots and will continue until all devices to be used in this election have been included in the test. It is expected that scanning of the test ballots will commence on Tuesday, October 6.
October 5, 2026 8 a.m.	Voting The preparation and loading of ballots will take place prior to this date and/or time. Those interested in observing the preparation and loading of ballots can view our observation calendar at ocvote.gov/observe for the exact date and time. Ballots for all active registered voters in the county will be delivered to the U.S. Postal Service for mailing by this date. Voters may also visit the Registrar of Voters to be issued a ballot and vote
October 6, 2026 1 p.m.	Processing of Mail Ballots Mail ballot processing includes sorting, signature verification, collection and return operations, and duplication of the official ballots.
October 12, 2026 10 a.m.	Counting of Mail Ballots Mail ballots accepted for counting are scanned. The votes on the scanned ballots may not be tallied by the voting system, accessed by Registrar of Voters staff, or released until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
October 24, 2026 10 a.m.	Vote Centers Open 39 Vote Centers open throughout the county to serve voters daily. An additional 152 Vote Centers will open Saturday, October 31. All 191 Vote Centers will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through November 2. On Tuesday, November 3 all Vote Centers will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Processing of Conditional Voter Registrations and provisional ballots can begin.
November 3, 2026 After 8 p.m.	Tallying of Votes The votes from mail ballots processed and scanned by this day and in-person ballots cast at Vote Centers will be tallied by the voting system. Unofficial Election Results Reports will be posted at 8:05 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and every half hour thereafter until all Vote Center ballots are tallied.
November 4, 2026 8 a.m.	Official Canvass During the Official Canvass, the Registrar of Voters continues to process mail ballots; reconciles ballots that were issued, voted, and those that were not used; and completes audits. The canvass must be completed no later than Thursday, December 3, and no earlier than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25.
November 5, 2026 11 a.m.	One Percent Manual Tally At least 1% of all precincts will be randomly selected at this time. It is expected that the hand counting of all ballots from those precincts to verify the votes tallied by the voting system software will commence on Friday, November 13.
November 6, 2026 10 a.m.	Risk Limiting Audit Election contests to be included in the Risk Limiting Audit, as well as the randomly selected seed number of at least 20 digits to select ballots, will be determined at this time. It is expected that the hand counting of those ballots to verify the votes tallied by the voting system software will commence on Thursday, November 19.
November 16, 2026 8 a.m.	Post-Election Logic and Accuracy Test The scanning of test ballots on all voting system devices will commence to confirm that the system is still tabulating ballots accurately.