| Election Name: | 1996 California State Assembly election |
| Country: | California |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1994 California State Assembly election |
| Previous Year: | 1994 |
| Next Election: | 1998 California State Assembly election |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Seats For Election: | All 80 seats in the California State Assembly |
| Majority Seats: | 41 |
| Leader1: | Richard Katz (retired) |
| Party1: | California Democratic Party |
| Leaders Seat1: | 39th–Sylmar |
| Last Election1: | 39 seats, 47.95% |
| Seats1: | 43 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 4,587,998 |
| Percentage1: | 49.42% |
| Leader2: | Curt Pringle |
| Party2: | California Republican Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | 68th–Anaheim |
| Last Election2: | 41 seats, 48.82% |
| Seats2: | 37 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| Popular Vote2: | 4,277,553 |
| Percentage2: | 46.07% |
| Speaker | |
| Before Election: | Curt Pringle |
| Before Party: | California Republican Party |
| After Election: | Cruz Bustamante |
| After Party: | California Democratic Party |
The 1996 California State Assembly elections were held on November 5, 1996. California's State Assembly in its entirety comes up for election in even numbered years. Each seat has a two-year term and members are limited to three 2-year terms (six years). All 80 biennially elected seats in the Assembly were up for election this year. Democrats gained 4 seats, retaking control of the Assembly after narrowly losing control in 1994.
| California State Assembly elections, 1994 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Incumbents | Open | Before | After | +/– | ||
| Democratic | 4,587,998 | 49.42% | 31 | 8 | 39 | 43 | +4 | ||
| Republican | 4,277,553 | 46.07% | 24 | 17 | 41 | 37 | -4 | ||
| Libertarian | 142,577 | 1.54% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Natural Law | 124,830 | 1.34% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independent | 51,863 | 0.56% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Write-ins | 29,560 | 0.32% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Peace and Freedom | 28,651 | 0.31% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Reform | 21,199 | 0.23% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Green | 12,851 | 0.14% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| American Independent | 7,475 | 0.08% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Invalid or blank votes | 948,941 | 9.27% | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Totals | 10,233,498 | 100.00% | 55 | 25 | 80 | 80 | — | ||
| 43 | 37 | |
| Democratic | Republican | |
Final results from the California Secretary of State:[1]
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