California Elections

Elections

Retired colonel keeps the peace at Tulare County polling place

CalMatters talked to volunteer poll workers and full-time staff members in the aftermath of November’s contentious election to see how their work differed from past elections. Poll worker Cheri Provancha of Tulare County used her military experience to keep things orderly at the polling place.

By Lewis Griswold • December 4, 2020

Politics

California NAACP leader resigns amid conflict-of-interest backlash

Alice Huffman was paid millions by corporate ballot measure campaigns that her historic civil rights organization endorsed, while many Black leaders took opposing positions.

By Laurel Rosenhall • November 20, 2020

Politics

Speed reading: California votes being counted twice as fast this year

At least California vote-counters are having a good year.  With nearly 17.5 million votes already tallied, county election officials have just about wrapped up counting the ballots from November’s presidential election.  A little over two weeks out, that puts California way ahead of the norm from recent elections.  Assuming the estimates of ballots left to […]

By Ben Christopher • November 19, 2020

Commentary

In California elections, women candidates have mixed results

Women won a big prize with the election of Kamala Harris as vice president, but in the state Legislature it’s another story.

By Guest Commentary • November 13, 2020

Elections

With some 4 million ballots to go, what are the odds that big California races swing?

Buried in the mountain of yet-to-be-deciphered popular will of Californians lie the fates of too-close-to-call statewide propositions and dozens of congressional and legislative races. Patience for the final electoral tally may not come naturally to election watchers in Georgia and Pennsylvania — nor, for that matter, the president of the United States. But Californians should […]

By Ben Christopher • November 6, 2020

Elections

Prepared for the worst, California’s election went OK

California prepared for the worst but voters largely were masked and socially distanced, and unrest was limited to isolated protests.

By Lewis Griswold and Michael Lozano • November 4, 2020

Elections

Californians waive labor law for Uber and Lyft, keep cash bail and affirmative action ban: Prop and hot race calls

California’s app-based corporate luminaries such as Uber and Lyft just waged the most expensive state ballot measure campaign in U.S. history — and it paid off big time, allowing those companies to thwart the will of all three branches of California government.  By approving Proposition 22, voters allowed those companies to avoid a 2019 California labor […]

By Ben Christopher • November 3, 2020

Elections

When will my ballot be counted? The perks of voting early

Flo Hodes is doing everything she can to avoid post-Election Day BS. A Democratic voter living in Oakland, she has watched with mounting concern President Donald Trump’s refusal to say whether he will abide by the reported election results, his continued efforts to undermine public confidence in voting by mail, and recent operational changes at […]

By Ben Christopher • October 21, 2020

College Beat

Students find new ways to get out the vote amid pandemic

Lea este artículo en español. First-time voter Fernando Villarreal is looking forward to participating in the upcoming presidential election. “I think it’s a really important election for democracy and I think young people have a lot at stake when it comes to education, healthcare and a lot of other issues,” said the Palomar College freshman. But […]

By Bella Ross • October 16, 2020

Elections

Election 2020: The California Crossword edition

Every election season has its ups and downs — now this one has acrosses as well. Think you know California, from its Capitol culture to its latest ballot props? This crossword puzzle will put your expertise to the test. Time yourself and let us know how you did. And if you need hints, avail yourselves […]

By Ben Christopher • September 16, 2020