How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you, such as housing costs, homelessness, jobs or taxes.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House writes federal law and sets the federal budget, including housing and homelessness programs and banking rules. Voters will also choose a governor and decide 14 statewide propositions on taxes, borrowing, elections and environmental review, plus a Los Angeles County charter amendment.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words, endorsements and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. The 43rd District covers South Los Angeles and the South Bay, including Inglewood, Compton, Hawthorne and Torrance, according to NBC Los Angeles’ race guide. ​

The district uses the map voters approved through Proposition 50 in November 2025, shown on the state Senate’s 2025 congressional district maps. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Safe Democratic, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview. Under California’s top-two system, Waters and Morales advanced from the Tuesday, June 2 primary, where Waters won 63.8% of the vote, Morales 16.9% and Democrat Myla Rahman 15.0%.

Candidates In Brief

Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), 88, was born in St. Louis, worked as a teacher and Head Start volunteer coordinator and served in the California Assembly from 1977 to 1991, according to AllCiv’s congressional biography. Waters has served in Congress since 1991 and chaired the House Financial Services Committee from 2019 to 2023, the first woman and first African American to lead it, according to NBC Los Angeles. Waters won reelection in 2024 with 75.1% of the vote.

Republican Cristian Morales was born in Guatemala, and Morales’ family immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, according to Morales’ Ballotpedia profile. Morales earned a management degree from Purdue and a master’s in industrial and labor relations from Cornell and has worked more than 20 years in automotive, aerospace and defense manufacturing. Morales ran in the 2021 recall election for governor and received less than 1% of the vote, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Where They Stand

Housing. Waters backed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law on Saturday, July 11, and called it “the success of Congress coming together to deliver desperately needed relief,” according to Housing Online. Morales’ campaign notes that 82% of Californians “Can’t afford California’s median-priced home,” according to Morales’ campaign website.

Homelessness. Waters praised an August court order that blocked the administration from suspending the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority from federal grants, calling it “a reprieve, not a solution,” according to Waters’ statement. Morales focuses on affordability, crime and homelessness and supports tax cuts and less government spending, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Government and the economy. Morales says “We don’t need a bigger government to solve every problem. We need accountable government, strong families, safe communities, economic opportunity.” Morales says the policies of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “contributed to an environment that has made California increasingly difficult and expensive for businesses.” Morales also says government should “secure our borders, keep our communities safe.”

The president. Waters is an outspoken critic of the administration and, when President Donald Trump delayed signing the housing bill in June, told reporters “Sign the damn bill!” according to theGrio. Morales wants the California Republican Party to follow President Ronald Reagan’s example of “reaching out to Latino communities.”

In Their Own Words

Maxine Waters, on the housing law:

“Today, we are facing one of the worst affordable housing and homelessness crises in our nation’s history.”

Cristian Morales, in Ballotpedia’s candidate survey:

“The most pressing issue I want to address is how our differences have caused us to stop discussing and working together to resolve the complex problems our country currently faces.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Morales completed Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey, and Waters did not. Morales’ campaign acknowledges “the deck is stacked against” it in the heavily Democratic district, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Endorsements

Before the primary, the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Environmental Voters, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Sierra Club and the Stonewall Democratic Club endorsed Waters, according to AllCiv’s endorsement data.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia:

  • Waters reported raising $1,107,267 and spending $1,119,052, with $104,671 on hand.
  • Morales reported raising $14,995 and spending $14,456, with $539 on hand.

Waters raised about $441,000 from individuals and $401,000 from PACs and reports $142,000 in campaign debt, according to AllCiv’s Waters candidate page. AllCiv’s California 43rd District race page shows about $13,000 in outside spending in the race, nearly all of it from Making California First supporting Waters, according to Ballotpedia’s FEC data. Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings, while smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total.

The Incumbent’s Record

Waters is the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees banks, housing and financial markets, according to AllCiv. This Congress, Waters has voted in 615 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Democrats 1 time out of 579, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Waters has cosponsored 252 bills, and the 43 bills Waters introduced drew 612 cosponsors, with none becoming law.

In April 2025, the FEC accepted an agreement in which Waters’ campaign committee, Citizens for Waters, agreed to pay a $68,000 civil penalty over inaccurate reports of receipts and spending, excessive contributions and prohibited cash payments, according to the FEC’s case file.

Challengers’ Records

Morales has not held public office. Morales’ campaign office is in Torrance, according to the campaign website.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

Waters is the only candidate in the race with a congressional record, and interest groups rate it. Each group picks its own set of votes, so the scores measure different things:

  • Heritage Action, which rates votes from a conservative perspective, gives Waters 0% for the current Congress.
  • The AFL-CIO, which rates votes on labor issues, gives Waters 100% for 2025 and 99% lifetime.
  • The League of Conservation Voters, which rates environmental votes, gives Waters 88% for 2025 and 92% lifetime.

Also On Your Ballot

California voters will choose a governor from Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra, according to AllCiv’s governor race page, and will decide 14 statewide propositions. Five were placed on the ballot by the Legislature and nine by voter petition, according to Los Angeles County’s list of measures. Fiscal estimates come from the state’s Legislative Analyst.

Proposition 1: Housing bonds. Placed by the Legislature, it lets the state borrow $11.25 billion for housing affordability programs. Repayment would cost the state $500 million to $600 million a year for about 25 years. US Vets and other supporters say the bonds would help veterans and other Californians find affordable homes. No argument against it was submitted to the official voter guide.

Proposition 2: Rainy day fund. Placed by the Legislature, it raises the cap on the state’s Budget Stabilization Account from 10% to 20% of general fund revenue. California Professional Firefighters and other supporters say larger reserves would protect essential services in downturns. Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno) says it would increase spending and make taxpayer rebates less likely.

Proposition 3: High-income tax. Placed by petition, it makes permanent the income tax rates on individuals earning more than $371,000, adjusted for inflation, which otherwise expire in 2031. It keeps $5 billion to $15 billion a year in state revenue for schools and health care. The California Teachers Association and other supporters say it protects school and health funding without raising rates, and the California Taxpayers Association and other opponents say it makes a temporary tax permanent, according to the official voter guide’s Proposition 3 page.

Proposition 4: Public campaign financing. Placed by the Legislature, it repeals the 1988 ban on public financing of campaigns and lets state and local governments create programs giving candidates public funds. It would cost the Fair Political Practices Commission a few hundred thousand dollars a year. The League of Women Voters of California and other supporters say it would let communities set up public financing with safeguards, and the California Taxpayers Association says taxpayers could end up funding candidates without limits.

Proposition 5: Recall elections. Placed by the Legislature, it removes the replacement question from recall elections for state officers. Vacancies would be filled later by special election or appointment, depending on the office and timing. Supporters, including the League of Women Voters of California and California Common Cause, say it stops replacements from winning with a small share of the vote, and opponents say politicians, not voters, would pick replacements for statewide offices, according to the official voter guide’s Proposition 5 page.

Proposition 37: Loans for middle-income homebuyers. Placed by petition, it creates a state program run by the California Housing Finance Agency that offers second mortgages of up to 17% of the price of qualifying new homes, backed by up to $25 billion in revenue bonds. Homebuyers’ loan payments would repay the bonds, so there is no direct state or local cost. United Nurses Associations of California and other supporters say it would help middle-income residents buy new homes. No argument against it was submitted to the official voter guide.

Proposition 38: Immunology research bonds. Placed by petition, it lets the state borrow $8.4 billion for immunology and immunotherapy research and creates a research institute affiliated with the University of California. Repayment would cost $500 million to $600 million a year for about 20 years. The Michael J. Fox Foundation and other supporters say it would fund research on cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, and researcher Robert M. Kaplan says it would add decades of debt.

Proposition 39: Voter ID. Placed by petition, it requires voters to show government-issued ID to vote in person and to write the last four digits of that ID on mail ballot envelopes, and requires the state to offer a free voter ID card, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Proposition 39 analysis. It would cost tens of millions to low hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Supporters say it would increase trust in elections, and the ACLU of California Action and other opponents say it would create barriers for eligible voters and expose personal information.

Proposition 40: One-time billionaire tax. Placed by petition, it imposes a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of billionaires in California, mainly for Medi-Cal, food assistance and public education. It would raise tens of billions of dollars over several years and could reduce income tax revenue by less than $1 billion a year afterward. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)and SEIU United Healthcare Workers West support it, and the California Primary Care Association and other opponents say it could hurt the economy and state budget.

Proposition 41: Spending limit and tax audits. Placed by petition, it bars new state taxes, including those enacted after Jan. 1, 2026, whose revenue is excluded from the state spending limit, and requires audits of programs funded by new special taxes. Its fiscal effect is unknown. The California Society of Certified Public Accountants and other supporters say audits add accountability. SEIU United Healthcare Workers West says it is aimed at undoing the billionaire tax, and a Yes vote on Proposition 41 or 42 would invalidate that tax, according to GV Wire’s proposition guide.

Proposition 42: Personal property taxes. Placed by petition, it bans new state taxes on personal property such as retirement savings and other personal assets, and voids conflicting taxes enacted after Jan. 1, 2026. Future state tax revenue may grow more slowly. California Professional Firefighters and other supporters say it protects savings from new taxes, and opponents including Sanders say it is meant to block the billionaire tax.

Proposition 43: Local special taxes. Placed by the Legislature, it raises the vote needed to pass voter-proposed local special taxes from a majority to two-thirds, starting Jan. 1, 2027. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and other supporters say it closes a loophole in Proposition 13, and California Professional Firefighters and other opponents say it would let a third of voters block funding for fire, schools and other services, according to the official voter guide’s Proposition 43 page.

Proposition 44: Community clinic spending. Placed by petition, it requires nonprofit federally qualified health centers to spend at least 90% of their revenue on program services such as patient care or face penalties. State costs would run in the low tens of millions of dollars a year, covered by fees. SEIU United Healthcare Workers West says it holds clinic executives accountable, and the California Medical Association and other opponents say it would close community clinics, according to the official voter guide’s Proposition 44 page.

Proposition 45: Environmental review. Placed by petition, it sets deadlines for California Environmental Quality Act reviews of most housing, transportation, water and health projects and narrows court challenges. Initial state and local costs would likely reach the high tens of millions of dollars a year and could top $100 million. Supporters including the California Water Association say faster reviews would make the state more affordable, and opponents including the Coalition for Clean Air say it limits public review of local projects, according to the official voter guide’s Proposition 45 page.

Los Angeles County Measure A: Binding arbitration for public safety unions. A Yes vote amends the county charter so that when contract talks with unions representing about 17,000 Fire, Sheriff’s and Medical Examiner department employees reach an impasse, a three-member arbitration panel makes a binding decision, and it bars strikes by those workers, according to LAist’s Measure A guide. A No vote keeps the current system, in which the county can impose its final offer. The Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 0 to place it on the ballot, with Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstaining. Supervisor Kathryn Barger says “A fair and efficient bargaining process is necessary to maintain competitive wages and benefits and improve recruitment,” while the county’s acting chief executive warned that arbitration awards could strain reserves and limit funding for other priorities.

Local measures. Cities, school districts and other local agencies in parts of the district also have measures on the ballot. Your county sample ballot lists every measure you will see.

Before You Go

Today

  • Election Day is today, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line by 8 p.m. may vote. Find locations and drop boxes at the state’s early voting and drop-off locator.
  • Same day registration: You can still register and vote a conditional ballot at your county elections office or any in-person voting location through 8 p.m. today.
  • Mail ballots must be postmarked by today and arrive by Tuesday, Nov. 10, or be dropped at an official drop box, vote center or county elections office by 8 p.m. today. Track your ballot at Where’s My Ballot.
  • ID: Most voters do not need ID. A first-time federal voter who registered by mail or online without a California ID or Social Security number may be asked for one, such as a driver’s license, passport, student or military ID, utility bill, bank statement or official government mail.
  • In the booth: You may bring a voter information guide, sample ballot or your own notes.
  • Questions: Call the Secretary of State’s voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683), listed on the Secretary of State’s voter hotlines page, or call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Deadlines That Have Passed

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Ballot Measures

Scorecards

Voting Information

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