The 2026 primaries are resurfacing controversies about mail-in ballots that were at the heart of election disputes in 2020.
California’s June 2 primary – in which candidates from every party ran together and the top two advanced to the general election – raised eyebrows because of its so-called “red mirage.” A mirage is a misleading early count that can temporarily show a candidate ahead in a race, sometimes by a significant margin.
