# Election of a new Governor of California, 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 3, 2026, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986 "2026-04-03T03:51:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/301 "2026-06-06T15:31:27Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > In other stupidity, Hilton has called on Governor Newsom to establish an emergency ballot counting squad to speed things up, so that California won’t be embarrassed by slow returns. Newsom responded that it is concerning that a candidate for Governor doesn’t know that the Governor has nothing to do with counting ballots. 🤣 Oh man, that’s hilarious. Newsom 's zingers are incredible. Fuck Hilton. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/302 "2026-06-06T15:49:01Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m not really understanding how they can be so sure that Becerra will stay ahead of Hilton, but not that Hilton will stay ahead of Steyer. 0.4% difference vs. 7.3% difference. Maybe since there’s a bigger difference between Becerra and Hilton, and between the demographics that vote for them, than between Hilton and Steyer. You can say “Oh, the precincts that haven’t reported yet are heavily Republican”, but it’s harder to say, of the Democratic precincts, which will favor Hilton vs. Steyer. EDIT: Wait, I think I got my parties mixed up, there. But that’s the idea. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/303 "2026-06-06T17:35:25Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Every registered voter now receives a ballot in the mail. We can mail it, take it to a drop box or take it to a voting center. There are far fewer voting centers than there were polling places in the past. I don’t understand why you need the vote centers. Up here in California Norte Oregon, we’ve had all-mail voting since 1999 and don’t have them and never did. You guys should have just followed our example and gone without. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/304 "2026-06-06T18:07:57Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I don’t understand why you need the vote centers. In my case, the drop box is available 24/7 and is next to the voting center. So, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/305 "2026-06-06T18:59:37Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m not really understanding how they can be so sure that Becerra will stay ahead of Hilton, but not that Hilton will stay ahead of Steyer. 0.4% difference vs. 7.3% difference Between Hilton = 28.4 and Steyer 21.4 is a huge gap. Maybe Hilton edges out Becerra, but that doesnt matter. It will be Hilton vs Becerra in November, and Becerra will win. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Newsom responded that it is concerning that a candidate for Governor doesn’t know that the Governor has nothing to do with counting ballots. Yeah, Newsom is taking off the kid gloves now. > [@dtilque](#): > > . Up here in California Norte Oregon, we’ve had all-mail voting since 1999 and don’t have them and never did. You guys should have just followed our example and gone without. Oregon’s population 4.28 million. The population of California is just short of 40 million, i.e almost . ten times that of Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/306 "2026-06-06T19:22:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It will be Hilton vs Becerra in November, and Becerra will win. We know. We would still know if you hadn’t said it over ten times so far. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/307 "2026-06-06T20:03:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > Up here in California Norte Oregon, we’ve had all-mail voting since 1999 and don’t have them and never did. You guys should have just followed our example and gone without. > > Oregon’s population 4.28 million. The population of California is just short of 40 million, i.e almost . ten times that of Oregon. And how is that a relevant statistic? Voting centers cater to those who are adamantly against vote-by-mail. There’s going to be such a subset in every population, and probably a very similar (and small) fraction no matter how large that population is. We just didn’t cater to them in Oregon and there’s no reason California needed to cater to them either. ETA: If a voter really, desperately needed to go somewhere special to vote, they could always bring their ballot to the County Elections Office where they have a few voting booths set up in the lobby. They can fill their ballot out there and drop it into the box that’s also in the lobby. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/308 "2026-06-06T22:27:27Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > We know. We would still know if you hadn’t said it over ten times so far. Apparently several still have doubts. > [@dtilque](#): > > Voting centers cater to those who are adamantly against vote-by-mail. There’s going to be such a subset in every population, and probably a very similar (and small) fraction no matter how large that population is. Because that subset is ten times more voters in CA than OR. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/309 "2026-06-06T23:52:39Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I don’t understand why you need the vote centers. Up here in California Norte Oregon, we’ve had all-mail voting since 1999 and don’t have them and never did. Do you still actually trust that Republicans, who currently control the USPS, won’t screw up all-mail voting? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/310 "2026-06-06T23:57:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do you still actually trust that Republicans, who currently control the USPS, won’t screw up all-mail voting? Yeah, say a new ruling that says the ballots must arrive by election day, and the Postmaster makes sure mail from the known Blue districts is lost for just a couple days, thus making many Dem votes invalid. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/311 "2026-06-07T00:48:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do you still actually trust that Republicans, who currently control the USPS, won’t screw up all-mail voting? I can’t be certain they won’t, but it would be harder than you think. For example, one change they’re trying to make is to require ballots be in by Election Day, not just postmarked by that day. That was actually the rule here in Oregon until about 5 years ago, so we could go back to that if we had to. Other shenanigans would likely get a lot of attention from postal employees (not all of them are Republicans), so would get a lot of blowback. ETA: Postal employees tend to be very protective of the mail and will not tolerate it being screwed up. Doesn’t matter which party they belong to, they still value an efficient mail service. Similarly, election workers are very protective of elections and getting accurate counts. Also doesn’t matter which party they belong to. At any rate, people in cities, who are mostly Democrats, tend to use the drop boxes much more than people in rural areas, who are mostly Republicans. So postal shenanigans would hurt Republican candidates more than Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/312 "2026-06-07T00:58:58Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > ETA: Postal employees tend to be very protective of the mail and will not tolerate it being screwed up. Doesn’t matter which party they belong to, they still value an efficient mail service. Similarly, election workers are very protective of elections and getting accurate counts. Also doesn’t matter which party they belong to. > **[Postal workers lash out against new USPS rule that helps Trump’s attack on...](https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/postal-workers-lash-out-against-new-usps-rule-that-helps-trumps-attack-on-mail-in-voting/)** > > The American Postal Workers Union says it “rejects the premise” that the USPS needed to comply with Trump’s anti-mail voting order.  > Calling it an “unconstitutional attack on the millions of Americans who vote by mail,” the APWU said in a press [statement](https://archive.is/o/1V1oj/https://apwu.org/news/apwu-response-to-proposal-to-change-vote-by-mail/) that it “rejects the premise” that the USPS needed to comply with Trump’s order. > > “The Executive Order also ignores the fundamental purpose of the Postal Service and postal workers, which is to provide universal service to all,” reads the statement. “The Postal Service serves all Americans – regardless of party, religion, or race; it is not a tool for politicians to pick which Americans get which benefits.” I don’t think union mail carriers are just gonna go along with some order to “lose” ballots. But at the risk of going off topic I’ll leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/313 "2026-06-07T02:04:01Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > For example, one change they’re trying to make is to require ballots be in by Election Day, not just postmarked by that day. That was actually the rule here in Oregon until about 5 years ago, so we could go back to that if we had to. Other shenanigans would likely get a lot of attention from postal employees (not all of them are Republicans), so would get a lot of blowback. Sure, and if mail from Dem districts is delayed by just a day or two? > [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t think union mail carriers are just gonna go along with some order to “lose” ballots. Not lose, no. But delays happen. Just make sure the delays happens to the votes you want. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/314 "2026-06-07T02:18:20Z")
I’m glad to hear that the union is pushing back… but there are also going to be a lot of postal workers who are sufficiently worried about their jobs that, if their bosses tell them to delay some mail, will do it, even if they don’t like it. And it doesn’t take very many postal workers in blue areas going along with their bosses’ orders to flip a state. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/315 "2026-06-07T02:32:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > there are also going to be a lot of postal workers who are sufficiently worried about their jobs that, if their bosses tell them to delay some mail, will do it, even if they don’t like it. Why would their bosses even be giving such an order? Postmaster isn’t a political appointment, and you can’t just fire union workers arbitrarily like Walmart cashiers. I just don’t see it happening. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/316 "2026-06-07T02:37:59Z")
I created another thread, which I suspect will be needed quite badly over the coming months and years for Trump’s manipulation of the postal service. > [@Risks of USPS Manipulation by the Trump Admin - 2026 and forward](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/risks-of-usps-manipulation-by-the-trump-admin-2026-and-forward/1030708): > > Between Trump’s executive order to manipulate mail-in-voting, and the backlash against it, I’ve created a new thread independent of the general Trump threads and certain ongoing elections to discuss the possible consequences as we approach Mid-terms, various state elections, and eventually 2028. It’s a significant risk especially in purple states, and may serve as a direct attack on states like my own Colorado that does all-by-mail options. Some sources of information to those who hadn’t been … ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/317 "2026-06-07T03:06:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Apparently several still have doubts. And Og forbid anyone should doubt the truth of anything you say? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/318 "2026-06-07T19:23:35Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > And Og forbid anyone should doubt the truth of anything you say? Not me, the actual numbers. But trump does doubt the numbers- > **[Fact-checking Trump’s interview with NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-checking-trump-interview-meet-press-june-2026-rcna348518)** > > Digging into some of the president’s claims on the Iran war, the Jan. 6 riots, California’s primary elections and more. > Trump, who has for years made false claims of voter fraud, said the recent primary elections in California were “rigged.” > > “The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. And it’s happening again right now in California,” Trump said. He added: “It’s four days and they aren’t even close to coming up with the — do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.” > > Pressed for evidence, Trump said, “All I have to do is look. And I listen. I listen to people.” > > There is no evidence of election fraud in California or problems with the state’s ballot counting. > > Trump is pointing to the long vote count in California, which is the result of the state’s election rules and reliance on mail-in voting, long a target of ridicule for the president.More than 80% of California’s voters cast a ballot by mail [in recent elections.](https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/historical-absentee) Ballots that are postmarked by election day can be accepted up to a week afterward, when they must be validated, processed and tallied. States that vote largely in-person often report results more quickly because that process can happen at the polls with the voter present. > > Trump noted that Republicans’ margins in some races are “dropping fast” as the vote is counted. So, you can believe the actual results, or trump. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/319 "2026-06-07T20:44:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > States that vote largely in-person often report results more quickly because that process can happen at the polls with the voter present. When we voted in person, California had approximately 20,000 precincts with IIRC about three workers at each one. They validated your ballot as you stood there before they handed it to you. 50,000 people spent a day on validation before the polls closed. With mailed ballots, they may be able to validate the ones that arrive before the day. Not sure what the exact rules are. It seems unlikely that there are as many people working on it though. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986/320 "2026-06-07T20:51:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not me, the actual numbers. Perhaps, considering the number of outstanding not-yet-counted ballots, some folks think it’s possible that we don’t (or didn’t at the time) know the “actual [final] numbers.” I mean “some folks” like most news outlets. Your predictions, entertaining and overbearing as they were, were not facts. You may fog the issue as much as you want with trump stuff, it doesn’t change the facts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-of-a-new-governor-of-california-2026/1028986.md?page=17)