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Californians and the November 2020 Election

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler

California’s likely voters are anxious about the troubling state of affairs in the nation and state, with COVID-19, the economy, and wildfires among their chief concerns.

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The PPIC Statewide Survey: Reflections at the 20th Anniversary

By Mark Baldassare, Abby Cook

Attitudes of Californians have evolved on key issues over the years. PPIC’s polling has also changed, but its high standards and commitment to delivering accurate, independent, nonpartisan information has not.

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Video: A 2020 Election Preview

By Mary Severance

Politico’s Carla Marinucci moderates an expert panel of four other leading journalists – Perry Bacon Jr., Priya David Clemens, Tamara Keith, and Jennifer Medina – discussing the upcoming election and the political landscape in California and nationally.

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Video: 2022 Election Preview

By Vicki Hsieh

Jennifer Medina, national politics reporter at The New York Times, talks about the priorities and mood of California’s electorate with Tamara Keith, White House correspondent at National Public Radio, Christine Mai-Duc, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and Terry Tang, editorial page editor at The Los Angeles Times.

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2022 Election Preview

With one month to go before a highly consequential election, what does the political landscape look like in California and the nation? A panel of top political journalists will discuss emerging themes and issues, and assess the mood of the voters.

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California’s Political Geography 2020

By Eric McGhee

California still leans Democratic overall, but independents are leaning Republican in many areas of the state. A closer look suggests that registering all eligible residents to vote could moderate more partisan places. Views on specific issues also follow their own geographic patterns.

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Interest Group Influence in the California Initiative Process

By Elisabeth R. Gerber

Perhaps the most dramatic change in the California political system over the past two decades has been the increasing use of the initiative process.  Between 1976 and 1996, Californians voted on 106 statewide ballot initiatives.  Spending on initiative campaigns has grown commensurately, peaking in 1996 at an all-time high of $140 million.  Many observers argue that the initiative process has been captured by wealthy economic interests able to "buy" favorable initiative legislation.  This background paper presents evidence to the contrary.  Despite their vast monetary resources, economic interests are generally unable to enlist the sympathy of a sufficiently large number of people to pass new laws through the initiative process.  Economic groups more often and more successfully use their resources to oppose ballot measures and thereby maintain the status quo.

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