Pleasanton Voter Guide: June 2 Ballot Summary

Pleasanton voters are heading into a busy June election stretch, but the first thing to know is simple: the main ballot lands on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Alameda County says every registered voter will get a vote-by-mail ballot, with mailing starting May 4, and early voting starts that same day. That matters because a lot of people still think of this as an in-person, one-day event. It isn’t — basically, the election period is already opening up. (acvote.alamedacountyca.gov) ### What is this election, exactly? This is California’s statewide direct primary. That means voters are picking candidates for offices like governor and state assembly, and the top finishers generally move on to the November 3, 2026 general election. Alameda County is also putting local offices and local measures on the ballot at the same time, so Pleasanton voters are dealing with both state and county-level choices in one packet. (sos.ca.gov) ### What will Pleasanton voters actually see? At the statewide level, the ballot includes the governor’s race and legislative races tied to Pleasanton’s districts. The secretary of state’s certified candidate list shows a very large field for governor, including names like Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, and Be(sos.ca.gov)amarie Avila Farias is on the ballot. (elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov) ### What about Congress? This is the part that can trip people up. Pleasanton is not voting in a regular U.S. House race on June 2. The big Bay Area congressional contest right now is the special primary for California’s 14th Congressional District, and that election is set for June 16, 2026, not June 2. That candidate list includes Aisha Wahab, Melissa Hernandez, Alisha Cordes, Rakhi Israni Singh, Jack Wu, Wendy Huang, and others — but that is a separate election date. (elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov) ### What local items matter most in Pleasanton? The Alameda County election page shows Zone 7 Flood Control & Water Conservation District director seats on the June 2 ballot. That matters a lot more than it sounds — Zone 7 is the agency tied to water supply and flood control in the Tri-Valley. The county page also lists at least two local measures in the election materials: Measu(elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov)arcel tax. (acvote.alamedacountyca.gov) ### When do ballots and vote centers open? Vote-by-mail ballots start going out May 4. Secure drop boxes also open May 4 in Alameda County. The first 10-day vote centers open May 23, and the shorter-window 4-day vote centers open May 30. If you want to vote in person on Election Day itself, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on June 2. (acvote.alamedacountyca.gov)ular registration deadline is May 18, 2026. If you miss that, California still has same-day conditional voter registration options during the late voting period, but the cleanest move is to get registered by May 18 and avoid any extra paperwork. If you’re mailing a ballot back on June 2, it needs a postmark no later than that day. (sos.ca.gov)rs check their exact ballot? Use Alameda County’s voter profile and election pages, not a generic guide. Pleasanton voters can confirm whether a local district race or measure applies to their address, track vote-by-mail status, and later find vote center locations there. That’s the safest way to avoid mixing up the June 2 primary with the June 16 congressional special. (acvot([sos.ca.gov)the real story is less “one big election day” and more “a month-long voting window with two separate June elections.” June 2 is the statewide primary and local county ballot. June 16 is the CD14 special primary. If you know that, the rest gets much easier. (acvote.alamedacountyca.gov)