election 2020

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks in the House Chamber after they reconvened for arguments over the objection of certifying Arizona’s Electoral College votes in November’s election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. Photo by Amanda Voisard/The Washington Post via AP, Pool

Elections

Amid DC violence, these California Republicans voted to reject Biden’s election

In a futile maneuver that did not stop Biden's win, almost all Republican members of Congress from California voted to challenge the election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

By

Lewis Griswold

• January 7, 2021

Helen Jones speaks about her son’s death to about 50 people at Mercado La Paloma’s hall in downtown Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Helen Jones

Elections

This activist says voting is just one tool to improve Black lives

Helen Jones knows her work to improve Black lives is a long term project. She firmly believes that voting is one way to ensure change.

By

Michael Lozano

• January 5, 2021

Elections

State worked with social companies to remove election misinformation

California worked with social media companies, created an internal database and developed threat levels to fight 2020 election misinformation.

By

Freddy Brewster

• December 29, 2020

Voters exit Avenal High School in Kings County on November 3, 2020. Photo by Clara Mokri for CalMatters

Elections

California’s election reform ignores obstacles for diverse voters

Despite election reforms designed to improve turnout in 2020, the gap between white and diverse voters remained significant.

By

Michael Lozano

• December 28, 2020

Los votantes salen de Avenal High School en el condado de Kings el 3 de noviembre de 2020. Foto de Clara Mokri para CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

La reforma electoral de California ignora los obstáculos para votantes diversos

A pesar de las reformas electorales diseñadas para mejorar la participación en 2020, la brecha entre votantes blancos y diversos siguió siendo significativa.

By

Michael Lozano

• December 28, 2020

Poll workers and members of the public can be seen near the entrance to the polling site at the Mario Esquer Building in Calexico on Nov. 3, 2020. Photo by CORISSA IBARRA, Calexico Chronicle (CM use only)

Elections

Low turnout doesn’t always mean disengaged voters. Here’s why

Imperial County’s 68 percent registered voter turnout in November hid a surprising fact: the highest number of people voted in the history of the county. Here’s a look behind the numbers.

By

Lewis Griswold

• December 23, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Changing election rules alters outcomes

In sports, when you change the rules, you affect outcomes. That's also true in politics as two new California proposals demonstrate.

By

Dan Walters

• December 23, 2020

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla talks during a news conference on Jan. 28, 2019, at the Capitol in Sacramento. Padilla has been named Newsom's pick for U.S. Senate. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Politics

Five things to know about California’s new U.S. senator, Alex Padilla

Gov. Newsom’s chosen successor to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is a tech-minded voting rights booster, a Latino who came of age during the nativist political upheaval of the 1990s and a longtime Newsom loyalist.

By

Ben Christopher

• December 22, 2020

Poll workers use tongs to collect ballots and hand out stickers at a curbside voting location at Alameda County courthouse on Nov. 3, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Elections

Which California county voted the most? The least? Let’s compare

California voters are as diverse as its geography, from mountain ranges to valley farmland to forests and beaches. So a look at official voting results released this month shows notable differences in who turned out, how we voted, and where we voted. More than half of California’s record 17.8 million ballots cast came from just […]

By

Michael Lozano

• December 21, 2020

A steady flow of Sonoma County voters went to the polling place at Petaluma’s Community Center in Lucchesi Park to cast their votes on Nov. 3, 2020. Photo by Crissy Pascual, Argus-Courier staff

Elections

Hills above Santa Rosa harbor peacocks, foxes — and some of California’s most engaged voters

Nine of ten registered voters cast ballots in Sonoma and Marin counties in Northern California, making them the state’s highest turnout counties in the November 2020 election. Their competition? A Sun City Palm Desert precinct, where turnout reached almost 96%.

By

Lewis Griswold

• December 16, 2020

Election 2020