Fact Sheet California’s Likely Voters By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas Aug 28, 2024 Among California’s likely voters—registered voters who cast ballots frequently and are politically engaged—48% report that they are Democrats, while 26% are Republicans, 24% are independents, and 2% are registered with other parties.
Fact Sheet Voter Participation in California By Mark Baldassare, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner, David Kordus Sep 9, 2015
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.
blog post California’s Changing Immigration Is Reshaping Its Electorate By Eric McGhee Nov 2, 2023 In recent years, immigration to California has slowed from all countries, and Asia has overtaken Latin America as the prime source. These shifts have immediate implications for the state’s electorate.
blog post Testimony: Who Votes, Who Doesn’t, and Why By Eric McGhee May 25, 2017 Californians’ participation in elections has declined, but there is now a fresh opportunity to engage them.
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.
Report California’s Exclusive Electorate: A New Look at Who Votes and Why It Matters By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler Sep 16, 2019 The people who go to the polls in California are very different from those who don't—a gap that has far-reaching implications for our democracy and political future.
blog post Voter Registration: Not Quite Automatic Yet By Eric McGhee Nov 11, 2015 A new law has the potential to register millions more Californians to vote—depending on how it is implemented.
blog post California’s Voter Turnout Problem By Eric McGhee Nov 19, 2014 Voter turnout in California’s 2014 midterm election was awful. It looks to have hit a new low, with about 42 percent of registered voters deciding to cast a ballot.
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.
