Donald Trump

Two elderly people look down into a black box labeled, "ballot box." The person on the left hold a flashlight illuminating the inside of the box during a dark evening.

Commentary

Election integrity is becoming a partisan prize. California voters did not take the bait

California voters saw Proposition 39 for what it was: not an attempt to solve any problem, but a ploy to use "election integrity" for partisan gain.

By Robert Greene • November 11, 2026

A person with short white hair and wearing a blue suit with an American-flag-patterned tie smiles while standing underneath a row of monitors overlooking a room where election workers count ballots.

Politics

California has one ballot-counting trouble spot. It’s the one run by an election denier

The only California county having problems counting ballots is Shasta, which has an election office run by Clint Curtis, one of Trump’s election deniers.

By Ryan Sabalow • November 4, 2026

Rows of empty electronic voting booths with yellow and dark blue privacy panels fill a polling location. A touchscreen in the foreground displays a welcome message for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Justice

We went to court to check on California illegal voting cases. Here’s what we learned

Experts say the federal government must prove that noncitizens intentionally violated election law. Regardless, defendants may face dire immigration consequences.

By CalMatters Staff • November 3, 2026

A man in a blue suit speaks at a podium bearing the Department of Justice seal during a press conference. A woman in a black suit stands to his left, while a man in a dark suit and red tie holds a folder to his right. Blue curtains hang behind them.

Politics

Supreme Court declines to hear Trump’s California 20,000 ballot case. Here’s what to know

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue an emergency ruling in the Trump Administration’s case to sequester 20,000 ballots. Here’s what to know about the ongoing, unprecedented legal attack on California’s elections.

By Ryan Sabalow and Sergio Olmos • November 2, 2026

Water

Has the Trump administration doomed Newsom’s water plan?

California approved Newsom’s Delta water rules, but Trump threatens to pull out and $740M with it. Water agencies that once backed the deal call it too strict; environmentalists say it’s too weak.

By Rachel Becker • October 29, 2026

Election ballots at the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters office in Sacramento on June 7, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Politics

DOJ subpoenas California election officials, despite judge’s order to stop threatening them

Federal officials delivered a subpoena to Orange County Registrar of Voters’s office on Thursday.

By Jeanne Kuang, Ryan Sabalow and Sergio Olmos • October 29, 2026

A nurse practitioner in a white coat uses a stethoscope to examine a seated woman wearing a pink floral dress, while another woman gestures beside them in an exam room.

Health

Did Trump invest more money in rural California health ahead of the election?

The Trump administration announced $233 million for rural California healthcare Thursday. Here’s where the money comes from.

By Kristen Hwang • October 29, 2026

Election workers wearing gloves sort and examine ballots at tables inside a large processing facility, photographed through shelves filled with trays of election materials.

Politics

Judge rejects Trump administration bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots

A federal judge refused to order California to set aside 20,000 ballots, citing a 'pattern of attempted election interference' by the Trump administration

By Ryan Sabalow • October 28, 2026

Luis Arreguin stands holding a Bible inside a church, beneath a large gold-framed painting of Jesus Christ. Sunlight streams through an open doorway to his right.

Justice

‘My whole life got destroyed:’ Fresno father, 49 years in the United States, suddenly deported

Luis Arreguin, a father of four, lived for 49 years in the United States. It took just 16 days for ICE to send him to Mexico after detaining him in Fresno.

By Wendy Fry • October 28, 2026

A side-view of people looking down while standing in front of blue voting booths. An American flag can be seen standing nearby.

Politics

What local election officials found in Trump’s new claims about California voters

The Trump administration is demanding that almost every California county review its claims that noncitizens are registered to vote. Some of the information appears outdated, officials say.

By Ryan Sabalow and Jeanne Kuang • October 27, 2026