It’s been just over a week since Sacramento County voters cast their ballots in the Statewide Special Election, and while preliminary results are available, the official count is still underway and with it, a lot of behind the scenes work most voters may not think about.
Counting Every Valid Ballot
After Election Day, Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections (VRE) begins the official canvass, the phase when we audit and account for all ballots that were issued, voted and those that were not used. This includes verifying vote-by-mail ballots received on or after Election Day, processing signature verification statements, reporting final results to the Secretary of State and more!
The 1% Manual Tally
Election officials conduct a 1% manual tally — a hand count of ballots from randomly selected precincts. The 1% manual tally process validates the tabulation of ballots generated by the vote-counting equipment before certifying election results.
Ongoing Results Updates
VRE posts updated results on Mondays and Wednesday as more ballots are verified and counted. You can follow the latest unofficial results and see what ballots remain to be processed at elections.saccounty.gov.
Certification
By law, counties have up to 30 days after Election Day to complete the canvass and certify the results. Sacramento County’s certification deadline for this election is Dec. 2, 2025. Once certified, results become official and are reported to the California Secretary of State.
A lot goes into providing accurate, transparent and secure elections. We appreciate your patience as we work through these processes.