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
Fact Sheet California Voter and Party Profiles By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas Aug 28, 2024 Nearly half of California’s registered voters are Democrats, and independent registration has declined over the past few years. Six in ten Republican likely voters are older adults; a majority of Democrats are women; and half of independents are college graduates.
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.
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.
Fact Sheet Race and Voting in California By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler Sep 2, 2020 Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans are less likely to vote than whites.
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 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.
Report Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered? By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Mindy Romero Mar 6, 2024 In recent years, new voter registration and voter address updates have surged—due largely to California’s new process for automatic voter registration. But registration reforms have not significantly diversified the electorate, and the state may need to do more to engage newly registered voters.
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.
