blog post The Dynamics of Party Registration in the Golden State By Eric McGhee May 9, 2023 A key driver of shifts in party affiliation in California has been new voters. They show a marked preference for No Party Preference and smaller party registration—and a slight preference for Democratic registration—over registering Republican.
blog post Automatic Voter Registration Is No Panacea By Mark Baldassare May 6, 2015 There’s no question that automatic voter registration would swell California’s voter rolls. But would it significantly increase turnout?
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered? By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Mindy Romero, Stephanie Barton Mar 6, 2024 Automatic voter registration and streamlined address updates have brought new voters onto the rolls while helping those who move within the state stay registered—but these reforms have not improved representation. To bring more young and diverse Californians into the electorate, the state must broaden its efforts to register new voters.
Fact Sheet California’s Likely Voters By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Aug 28, 2023 Likely voters lean Democratic and are ideologically mixed. They also tend to be whiter, older, more educated, and more affluent than adults overall.
Fact Sheet Voter Participation in California By Mark Baldassare, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner, David Kordus Sep 9, 2015
blog post Video: Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered? By Stephanie Barton Mar 22, 2024 PPIC policy director and senior fellow Eric McGhee discusses new research on whether changes to certain voter registration processes in California have increased registration, made the electorate more representative of the state’s population, and helped keep California's voter file current.
event Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered? Mar 12, 2024 In recent years, new voter registration and voter address updates have surged—due largely to California’s new process for automatic voter registration. In a presentation of a new report, PPIC researcher Eric McGhee will outline the ways in which registration reforms have increased or maintained the voter rolls and join report co-author Mindy Romero in discussing efforts needed to improve voter engagement.
Report What to Expect from California’s New Motor Voter Law By Eric McGhee, Mindy Romero Jun 15, 2016 In 2015, California passed major legislation to increase the state’s voter rolls by simplifying the voter registration process. Under the New Motor Voter Act, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will electronically transmit information about DMV customers who are eligible to vote to the California Secretary of State, which will add eligible customers to the voter rolls unless they opt out. We find that this law has the potential to significantly alter the demographic composition of the California electorate, making the population of registered voters more representative of the state as a whole. Our estimates also suggest that the new system may rapidly expand the voter rolls, adding more than 2 million new registrants in the first year. Key implementation issues will decide the impact of the New Motor Voter Act. To ensure the law’s success, the state should require DMV customers to attest to their eligibility to vote as a precondition for completing their transaction. It will also be necessary to mobilize new registrants aggressively if they are to become new voters.
Report California’s Missing Voters: Who Is Not Voting and Why By Eric McGhee Jun 26, 2017 Despite an uptick in voter registration and turnout for last year’s election, California’s long-term trends in voter participation are disappointing. Mobilizing key groups—especially Latinos, Asian Americans, and young people—will be crucial to ensure future civic engagement in the state.
