Eric McGhee
Policy Director and Senior Fellow
Expertise: Political participation, electoral reform, demography
Eric McGhee is a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, and policy director for the Understanding California’s Future research initiative tasked with exploring key trends and challenges facing the state. He focuses on elections, legislative behavior, political reform, and demography. His research on elections and electoral reform has appeared in numerous academic journals, and his work has been profiled on National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Economist. He is the creator of the “efficiency gap”—a widely used measure of gerrymandering—and coauthor of a legal test based on the measure that has been presented before the US Supreme Court in high-profile litigation. Before joining PPIC, he was assistant professor of political science at the University of Oregon and served as a congressional fellow through the American Political Science Association. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Examining Trends in California’s Birth Rates
Policy Brief: Examining Trends in California’s Birth Rates
California Voters and the Top-Two Primary
California’s Population
California’s Aging Population
Policy Brief: California’s Aging Population
The Political Views of Young Californians
Race and Diversity in the Golden State
Policy Brief: How Accurate Was California’s 2020 Census?
How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences California Voter Turnout
California’s Political Geography 2020
California’s Future: Political Landscape
Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission: Effects on Partisan Fairness and Competitiveness
Putting California’s Voter Turnout in Context
California’s June 3 Primary Election
Voter Turnout in Primary Elections
Party Registration in California
Parcel Taxes for Education in California
California’s New Electoral Reforms: The Fall Election
Test-driving California’s Election Reforms
Open Primaries
Redistricting and Legislative Partisanship
Legislative Reform
California Voters and the Top-Two Primary
Who Turned Out to Vote on California’s Proposition 50?
Where Are Californians Going When They Leave the Golden State?
Who’s Leaving California—and Who’s Moving In?
Key Takeaways from the Proposition 50 Election
How Would the Prop 50 Redistricting Plan Affect Racial and Geographic Representation?
How Many Seats Would Democrats Gain under California’s Mid-Decade Redistricting Plan?
California’s Voters and the Upcoming Redistricting Decision
Do California and Texas Have Gerrymandered Districts?
The California Background to the National Redistricting Fight
California’s Republican Exodus
A Deeper Look at California’s Homeowner Insurance Challenges
A Closer Look at California’s Surging Electricity Rates
Which Californians Turned Out to Vote in 2024?
Three Decades of Housing Challenges in the Golden State
California’s Voter Turnout Sank in 2024
Who Is Switching Political Parties in California?
How Are California’s Competitive Congressional Districts Changing?
How Has Remote Work Affected Migration around the State?
Who Works from Home?
Remote Work Is Reshaping the California Labor Market
How Has Party Voting Changed in California?
California’s Renters
Many California Renters Remain Financially Stressed
California’s Changing Immigration Is Reshaping Its Electorate
Has California’s Independent Registration Boom Ended?
California’s African American Community
COVID-19’s Sobering Effect on Life Expectancy
California’s Native American Community
How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting
The Politics of Leaving California
California’s Hispanic Community
California’s Population Shifts May Lead to New Income Divides
California’s Competitive House Districts
California’s AAPI Community
Understanding the Geography of California’s Final Redistricting Maps
Racial Representation and Partisan Leanings in California’s Final Redistricting Maps
California’s Children Offer a Window into a More Diverse Future
New Housing Fails to Make Up for Decades of Undersupply
Understanding the Geography of California’s Draft Redistricting Maps
Race and Partisan Leanings in California’s Draft Redistricting Maps
Redistricting Opens New Opportunities for Communities of Color
Changes Are Coming to California’s Political Districts
New Census Data Sheds Light on California’s Changes
Would a Party Endorsement Matter in the Recall?
California’s Politically Invisible
California’s New Baby Bust
Improving California’s Automatic Voter Registration
California’s Stalled Population Growth
Census Delays Complicate California’s Election Process
Voting Problems in March May Have Discouraged Some LA Voters
Did COVID-19 Disrupt California’s Voter Registration Surge?
California’s Census Response Is Strong, but Concerns Remain
How Different Would California’s Elections Be If 17-Year-Olds Could Vote?
Shorter Timeline Threatens Census Count
Census Responses Lagging during COVID-19
California’s Quick Response to COVID-19 Likely Saved Lives
Will Mail-in Ballots Benefit One Party?
COVID-19 and California’s Census Count
California’s Population Slowdown
How Did California’s Voter Registration Rate Get So High?
Predicting California’s Economic Health
Interview: Citizenship and the 2020 Census
New Term Limits Add Stability to the State Legislature
How Strong Is the Trump Effect in California?
Is California Turning Even Bluer?
Commentary: California’s Top-Two Primary, Explained
Partisan Gerrymandering and the Role of Social Science in the Courts
Testimony: Who Votes, Who Doesn’t, and Why
The Turnout Turnaround
The Top-Two System and Election 2016
Commentary: New Law Could Change California’s Electorate
A Turnaround for Voter Turnout?
Assessing the Top Two Primary
Voter Registration: Not Quite Automatic Yet
Commentary: California Leads in Voting Reform
Three Myths about Gerrymandering
The Special Election and the Top-Two Primary
Can Preregistering Teens Boost Voter Turnout?
A Move to Raise Turnout in LA
Are Some Counties Bucking the Low-Turnout Trend?
California’s Voter Turnout Problem
The Election Was Hard on California Democrats, Too
Three Lessons About California’s Election Reforms
Improving the Vote-by-Mail System
The Vanishing Line-Item Veto
Is the Top-Two Primary to Blame for Low Turnout?
Quirks of the Top-Two Primary
Electoral Reforms Face New Test
The Power of the Primary Voter
Rebooting California’s Congressional Delegation
California’s Quietest Reform
How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences California Voter Turnout
2020 Census: Why Is the Citizenship Question Such a Big Deal?
Electoral Reform and California’s Future
Boosting Voter Turnout in California
School Parcel Taxes: What If California Made It Easier to Pass Them?
Election 2012: A Historic Vote in California
Electoral Reform and Election 2012
Election 2012: Year of Change in California