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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in California's 12th congressional district

2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Candidates
2
Incumbent
Lateefah Simon
Parties
Democratic
State primary
Jun 2

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

2 candidates · ballot order · Lateefah Simon currently holds this seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • The MAD Act, a 650-page omnibus bill she wrote to rebalance power between government and the public.
  • Regulating AI so its benefits are kept and its harms stopped.
  • Dismantling what she calls the surveillance state.
  • Release of further files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Reform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
  • Campaign finance transparency and election reform; she opposes AIPAC funding of candidates.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • More than seven years working on democratic governance and civic technology.
  • Co-launched Democracy's Library at the Internet Archive and mapped the structure of the U.S. government.
  • Former chief operating officer of an international environmental organisation.
  • Coordinated volunteers for PPE manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Reported no fundraising at the time of the primary filing deadline, against the incumbent's roughly $700,000 cash on hand.
  • Proposes a 'Just 12' strategy of recruiting twelve unified members across the political spectrum to act as a voting bloc.

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Joyce by name could be found: not from Lateefah Simon or her campaign, and not from Bay Area news coverage, which reported her platform rather than any case against her. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
  • She reported no fundraising as of December 2025.
  • She has held no elected office, so there is no voting record to set against her campaign's positions.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:jamiejoyce.comfec.govballotpedia.orgballotready.orgmsn.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Transit equity and accessible public transportation.
  • Criminal justice reform, including reducing barriers to reentry after incarceration.
  • Affordable housing.
  • Disability access.
  • Climate and social policy priorities associated with the progressive caucus.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 12th District since January 2025; first term.
  • Former director on the BART board, where she created the transit ambassador programme, the first of its kind nationally.
  • Author of H.R. 6069, the RIDER Safety Act, which would fund transit ambassador programmes at public transit agencies nationally.
  • Secured $11.2 million for 15 community projects in the district through the fiscal 2026 community project funding process.
  • Endorsed by the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions, National Nurses United affiliates and the Sierra Club.
  • Led the June 2, 2026 primary by a wide margin, with roughly $700,000 in cash on hand.

Arguments in favor

  • She is running on federal money brought back to the East Bay and on oversight, pledging to hold the administration accountable in a second term if her party takes the House.

    — Lateefah Simon's campaign, reported by the Mercury News

  • She entered the general election with $916,000 raised and $592,000 on hand against an opponent reporting no fundraising at all — a measure of the support behind her in the district.

    — Campaign finance figures reported by the Mercury News

Arguments against

  • Democrats in Washington have not fought back: the second Trump term has been "an unrelenting assault" on the checks and balances of government, and the party has been inactive against it, allowing "the expansion of the surveillance state by anti-democratic tech titans" and failing to prosecute "the Epstein class". "They need to wake up."

    — Jamie Joyce, her opponent on this ballot

What we couldn’t verify

  • Joyce's criticism is aimed at congressional Democrats collectively rather than at Simon by name; no criticism of Simon by name was found from Joyce, from the National Republican Congressional Committee, or from Bay Area news coverage.
  • This is a same-party contest: California's top-two primary sent two Democrats to the November ballot.
  • Her committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:lateefahsimon.comsimon.house.govballotpedia.orgnbcnews.comdailygazette.com

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

This is a race between two Democrats. Only two candidates filed in this Oakland-based district, so both advanced automatically from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary: first-term incumbent Lateefah Simon, who led the count heavily, and Jamie Joyce. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of either candidate by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the other would tilt the page. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia's primary results and NBC News returns.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A California ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

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