Prop 5 Leads Statewide as Bay Area Votes Count
Proposition 5 holds a narrow statewide lead after Bay Area counties shifted the outcome in its favor.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections
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Proposition 5 held a 48,425-vote statewide lead on Wednesday afternoon, according to the California secretary of state's 3:43 p.m. November 4 returns. Counties were still counting ballots as of the latest tally.
Why it matters
Proposition 5 would change how California replaces recalled state officials, dropping the successor question from state recall ballots. Bay Area votes were the only reason the measure moved ahead, since the 49 counties outside the region still had it trailing.
The nine Bay Area counties produced a yes-over-no margin of about 190,000 votes on Proposition 5, which overcame a 141,631-vote deficit elsewhere in the state. Solano was the only Bay Area county where no votes led.
The players
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom is the governor of California whose 2021 recall election featured 46 possible successors, the ballot question Proposition 5 would remove.
California Secretary of State
The California Secretary of State is the state office that publishes official election returns, including the 3:43 p.m. November 4 figures used in this tally.
The details
Proposition 5 was the only one of California's 14 propositions where including Bay Area votes changed which side was ahead. Alameda County gave it 61% yes, Contra Costa 53%, and Santa Clara 52.2%.
Timeline
In 2021, California voters faced a recall election with 46 possible successors to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
On November 4, 2026, at 3:43 p.m., the secretary of state released the returns used for the Proposition 5 tally.
On Wednesday afternoon, Proposition 5 held its 48,425-vote statewide lead.
Political Context
Proposition 5 responds directly to the 2021 recall, where Californians chose among 46 possible successors to Gov. Newsom. Under the measure, if voters removed a governor, the lieutenant governor would take over instead.
If Proposition 5 passes, California voters would no longer choose a recall successor, and the lieutenant governor would take over after a governor's removal. The final result depends on counties finishing their ballot counts.
The takeaway
Proposition 5's outcome shows how a single region can decide a statewide measure when the rest of California is divided. Readers should watch for final county counts before drawing conclusions about the result.
Further reading
For more on how California's ballot measures are decided, see the Elections section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sonoma Index-Tribune.
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