press release Timing Is Everything: Off-Cycle Elections Discourage Voter Turnout In Local Contests Mar 29, 2002
blog post California 2020: Census and Elections Are Important to Californians By Alyssa Dykman, Lynette Ubois Jun 12, 2019 With the next national census and the presidential election coming up next year, overwhelming majorities of Californians place great importance on participating in them.
blog post Abortion May Emerge as a Key Issue in California’s Midterm Elections By Dean Bonner Aug 3, 2022 In our latest statewide survey, seven in ten likely voters disapproved of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ruling and results from state ballot measures on reproductive rights—such as the recent referendum in Kansas—could elevate the role of abortion in the upcoming midterms.
Report Municipal Elections in California: Turnout, Timing, and Competition By Paul Lewis, Zoltan L. Hajnal, Hugh Louch Mar 1, 2002 Low voter turnout for municipal elections in California has raised concerns about declining civic participation and its potential consequences. This study documents voter turnout in California’s municipal elections and investigates the causes of turnout differences. To assess the political vibrancy of municipal elections, it also examines the degree of competition for and turnover in municipal offices. Using data from a questionnaire completed by 350 city clerks in California, the authors calculate that less than half of all registered voters living in cities cast ballots in the most recent municipal elections. However, they also note that overall turnout in city elections could be increased substantially by rescheduling more of them to coincide with state and national contests.
Report The Season of Our Discontent: Voters’ Views on California Elections By D. E. Apollonio, Mark Baldassare, Jon Cohen, Bruce E. Cain Oct 26, 2004 Over the past 20 years, two particular trends have emerged in California politics: Gubernatorial campaigns have spent increasing, record amounts of money—most of it on negative TV commercials attacking opponents. And at the same time, a growing percentage of voters have signaled their disaffection for negative campaigns by simply staying away from the polls. In this study, the authors use their findings from 10 surveys of over 20,000 Californians conducted during the 2002 election cycle to examine the disconnect between politicians and the public in California. The surveys show a high degree of dissatisfaction among Californians with their choice of candidates and the way campaigns are run in the state. They are highly supportive of campaign reforms, including candidate debates, public disclosure, finance reform, and pledges of campaign conduct.
blog post Census Delays Complicate California’s Election Process By Eric McGhee Mar 3, 2021 Delays in the 2020 Census due to COVID-19 mean that the state’s redistricting commission will set legislative boundaries later than originally planned, which could cause challenges for California’s election timelines.
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 Commentary: Change Automatic Voter Registration Process to Track Equity in Elections By Mindy Romero, Mike Alvarez, Eric McGhee Mar 3, 2022 Adding a single optional question on race/ethnicity to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ automatic voter registration form could increase understanding of voter participation and strategies for engaging underrepresented groups.
blog post Who Voted in the 2022 Election and What Does It Mean for 2024? By Eric McGhee May 24, 2023 While California turnout in last fall’s election was lower across the board compared to 2020—a presidential election year—the decline in voting was especially large among Asian Americans, Latinos, and women.
