blog post Who Is the California Voter? By Stephanie Barton Nov 8, 2022 A near record-high share of eligible individuals are registered to vote in the Golden State. Likely voters tend to be older, white, affluent, college educated, and homeowners. Nonvoters, on the other hand, are more likely to be younger, Latino, lower income, less educated, and renters.
blog post How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting By Jennifer Paluch, Eric McGhee, Heather Harris Nov 2, 2022 For the purposes of drawing state legislative and congressional districts, California now counts state prisoners as residents of their last known address, rather than as residents of prisons. Though the effects are small, communities with large numbers of residents who have been sent to prison now do not lose representation to the few communities in which the prisons are located.
blog post The Politics of Leaving California By Eric McGhee, Hans Johnson Oct 17, 2022 California has seen multiple years of population decline, driven in part by a growing number of people leaving the state. Political differences as to the role of government in society could be a factor in some migration decisions.
blog post California’s Hispanic Community By Eric McGhee Oct 5, 2022 In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we look at our state’s large and dynamic Hispanic population, which accounts for nearly four in ten Californians—more than any other racial or ethnic group.
blog post Fewer California Adults and Far Fewer Children Are in Poverty in 2021 By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon Sep 22, 2022 New census data show that poverty in California declined among both adults and children last year. While economic downturns typically cause poverty to rise, pandemic relief measures drove a continued decline, especially among children.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: How Accurate Was California’s 2020 Census? By Eric McGhee Sep 7, 2022 The decennial census is critical to our democracy: it provides the foundation for political representation and federal spending. California’s investment in the 2020 census looks like it paid off with a highly accurate count. Among hard-to-count populations – including Black and Latino residents – it was better than almost every other state.
blog post California’s Population Shifts May Lead to New Income Divides By Eric McGhee Aug 16, 2022 While housing costs are often cited as a reason for leaving California, they can also drive migration within the state—with potential consequences for income patterns across regions.
blog post California’s Competitive House Districts By Eric McGhee Aug 11, 2022 California’s newly drawn congressional districts could play a key role in determining party control of the US House of Representatives. What factors might shape the competitive races?
blog post California’s Election Reforms at the Dawn of a New Decade By Eric McGhee Jul 18, 2022 The June primary marked the tenth of anniversary of two major changes to elections in California: the Citizens Redistricting Commission and the Top Two primary. What can the recent primary’s results tell us about the impact of these reforms?
blog post California’s LGBT Population By Hans Johnson Jun 28, 2022 California’s share of adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) is higher than that in the rest of the nation. Our state’s LGBT community includes a broad range of identities and reflects California’s overall racial and ethnic diversity.