Elections

These days, campaigning doesn't just mean attacking all challengers. A sly boost for a favorite opponent can also prove useful.

What do the top two spenders, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, have in common? Both are billionaires and both are no longer in the race.

Taken at face value, the unprocessed ballots combined with those that have already been counted add up to 8.8 million votes, or a turnout rate of 43% of all registered voters. Of course this should not be taken at face value.

For 20 years, Californians have routinely supported school bonds. This time, up and down the ballot, the returns aren't looking so positive. 

California is investing $187.2 million in marketing and outreach for the 2020 census. The state is at risk of losing billions of federal dollars and a House seat if there's an undercount.

As you read this article, Proposition 13, the $15 billion school construction bond either failed by a historically wide margin, or it didn’t. Likewise, Bernie Sanders bulldozed the competition, beating out California’s second place Democratic finisher, Joe Biden, by hundreds of thousands of votes. Or he didn’t. And turnout might have been historically high — […]

This article was updated March 11. California is notoriously slow to tally its votes (to the frustration of campaigns, voters and political reporters alike). In a state where most ballots are cast by mail, “100% precincts reporting” on Election Night still meant “a whole lot more ballots to count.” According to the Secretary of State, […]

Last October, when he signed the legislation that placed Proposition 13 on the ballot, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a prediction: “Voters will approve this bond, because voters historically approve school bonds.” Newsom and supporters, who spent millions of dollars campaigning for a statewide ballot measure with no organized opposition, billed Prop. 13 as a critical […]

This article was updated March 4. If nothing else, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ robust showing in the California Democratic primary proves this: In the state that gave the nation Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the anti-tax revolt, a decisive chunk of the Democratic electorate is no longer allergic to the word “socialism.” It’s a political milestone […]

“Zombie votes,” or votes for candidates no longer running, could be a factor in California's Democratic presidential primary.