How do California primary elections work? Here’s what you need to know

As Californians begin to head to the polls for early voting in the June 2 primary election, the state’s top-two system has raised questions.

The so-called “jungle primary” system, in which candidates all compete against each other to land on the general election ballot, has sparked some calls for change following a chaotic race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The last day to register to vote in the June 2 primary election was May 18, the California Secretary of State’s Office said. Eligible citizens can register for same-day voting through June 2.

Counties began mailing ballots May 4 and ballot drop-off locations opened May 5. Early in-person voting began in some California counties on Saturday, May 23.

All early voting locations in the state will open May 30 and June 2 is the last day to vote in-person. Mail-in ballots will be accepted if postmarked no later than June 2.

Primary voters will cast ballots on candidates for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner and state superintendent of schools.

Seats in the U.S. Congress, state Assembly and state Senate also are up for election, as are various local positions.

The next California general election will be Nov. 3.

Here’s what you need to know:

How do California primary elections work?

Prior to 2010, California had a closed primary process in which members of each political party cast ballots only for their party’s candidates. The top vote-getter in each party advanced to the general election, the Public Policy Institute of California said.

In 2010, Californians passed Proposition 14, which established the current top-two primary election system, Ballotpedia said.

In a top-two primary election, voters cast their ballots for any candidate, regardless of party.

The top two vote-getters then advance to the general election, even if they are from the same party, Ballotpedia said.

How are they different from ranked-choice voting?

In a ranked-choice system, voters rank the candidates for each post in order of preference, from highest to lowest, the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center said.

If a single candidate receives more than half the ranked votes, that candidate wins. If there is no majority, the race is decided by an instant runoff, the center said.

“The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice will have their votes count for their next choice,” the center said. “This process continues until a majority winner, a candidate with more than half of the vote, wins.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 9:38 AM with the headline "How do California primary elections work? Here’s what you need to know."