blog post Commentary: Key Questions for November from the California Primary Vote By Mark Baldassare Apr 15, 2024 The vote count for the March 5 California primary has now been certified. We examine what these results, along with PPIC Statewide Survey findings, say about this fall's general election in our state.
blog post Redistricting and the Changing Demographics of the California Legislature By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Feb 1, 2023 The November 2022 election has transformed the demographics of California’s state legislature and congressional delegation, adding greater numbers of Latinos and women in particular. Newly redrawn political districts are one of the factors driving this change.
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 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?
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas May 25, 2022 Key finding include: Rising prices, the economy, and housing are the top issues for Californians. Most approve of the $18 billion package that Governor Newsom has proposed to address inflation. Majorities think the nation is headed in the wrong direction and anticipate bad economic times in the next year. For the November midterm elections, most likely voters favor the Democratic candidate in their House district and prefer a candidate who wants Roe v. Wade kept in place.
blog post Most California Voters Say “We Know Best” By Mark Baldassare May 25, 2022 A majority of likely voters believe that policy choices made through the citizens’ initiative process are probably better than those made by state lawmakers.
blog post Understanding the Geography of California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 19, 2022 California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission recently approved final political districts for the state. How well do these new districts align with the commission’s key geographic goals, such as keeping existing jurisdictions intact?
blog post Racial Representation and Partisan Leanings in California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 12, 2022 With the final maps from the Citizens Redistricting Commission, the number of majority Latino districts increased significantly--with less change for Asian Americans and African Americans—while the new districts could improve Democrats’ prospects in Congress and the state assembly.