CVF in the News

By Azi Paybarah, The Washington Post, March 5, 2024

Excerpt:

When voters in California head to the polls on Tuesday they will find two U.S. Senate races on their primary ballots.

The races are for the same Senate seat held for three decades by Dianne Feinstein (D), who died in September. After her death, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Laphonza Butler to fill the seat until a special election could be held.

A few days after Butler was appointed to the seat, she announced she would not run for a full Senate term. That helped set off races for a rare open Senate seat in the heavily Democratic-leaning state. Dozens of people jumped at the chance to run.

Under a California law enacted in 2022, if a senator vacates their seat more than 148 days before the next regularly scheduled statewide primary, the state is required to hold a special election on the same day as the regularly scheduled primary election.

A heavy reliance on mail-in ballots, and an extensive review process, can lead to a waiting game for results.

By Corina Knoll, New York Times, March 5, 2024

Excerpt:

By Tuesday night in California, the ballots will be cast, but the results for many races may remain uncertain for days, even weeks.

It is a familiar waiting game that is unique to the state, tending to prompt public scrutiny and debate when major races or hot-button issues are at stake.

But the delay is largely connected to the fact that most of the state’s 22 million registered voters cast mail ballots — and to an extensive review process that requires more than placing a ballot through a machine.

In California, that means verifying each mail-in ballot through a series of steps, including checking signatures and making sure voters did not cast another ballot elsewhere.

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By Julia Wick, Los Angeles TImes, March 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Forget election night. Election season has been upon us for weeks, and it won’t be over anytime soon.

California’s prodigious adoption of vote-by-mail balloting has done more than fundamentally alter how we engage in the democratic process. The shift has also necessitated a cultural reconfiguration about election night results, and recast the timeline for learning outcomes in many races.

Definitive answers will likely only be clear in the most lopsided of contests by late Tuesday night. And conclusive results could take days or weeks to emerge in some of the tightest races.

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Think of it this way: When a Californian shows up at a vote center and casts a ballot in person, as was once commonplace, all the verification is done up front at the vote center. When that ballot arrives for tabulation, no extra steps are needed.

Californians Head To Polls On Super Tuesday

By KQED News Staff, KQED, March 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Polling places are open in California, as local and statewide races are on the ballot. Two of the biggest races — the U.S. Senate seat that had long been held by the late Dianne Feinstein and Proposition 1, a proposal dealing with mental health and homelessness. (Full Audio)

By Chris Nichols, capradio, March 4, 2024

Excerpt:

Once the final ballots are mailed-in, placed in a drop box or cast in-person for California’s March 5 primary election, the attention will turn to the results.

But how quickly will those be made public? And will they tell us the outcome of the races right away?

Election officials and experts say the results will arrive in three separate waves on election night, with the first being released shortly after the polls close at 8 p.m. on March 5.

The first wave will consist of results from the early-arriving vote-by-mail ballots, likely the ones that arrived a few days — or weeks — before the election, Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, told CapRadio in 2022.

The early results will show up on the California Secretary of State’s website. But they won’t necessarily be enough to determine the outcome of close races. 

By Alexis Madrigal, KQED, March 4, 2024

Excerpt:

Tuesday is the final day to cast ballots in this year’s primary election. Voters across the Bay Area will decide on key races for county supervisor seats, state offices, and a slew of measures aimed at addressing mental health, public safety and the region’s homelessness crisis. Some of the races garnering attention include a rare recall election for two San Francisco judges who have been portrayed as soft on crime. In the East Bay, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín is competing with five other candidates for a seat in the state senate. In Napa, voters will decide on three of five supervisor seats. We’ll talk about the races you’re watching and what you need to know going into the primary. (Full Audio)

By Sameea Kamal, CalMatters, March 2, 2024

Excerpt:

Between COVID-19 and election fraud conspiracy theories since 2020, it has been a tumultuous time for California’s election workers. 

The state lost 15% of its election officials between the November 2020 election and July 2021, according to the California Voter Foundation, which documented incidents of threats, harassment and stress. While not all left due to safety concerns, more than half of California counties have a new registrar of voters since 2020, compared to 17% turnover between 2016 and 2020.

Soon joining that list is Cathy Darling Allen, the registrar in Shasta County, where officials have faced intimidation and threats by some unhappy with election results. She announced in February that she is retiring in May due to health issues — and reducing stress is essential to recovery.

By Josh Haskell, ABC 7, February 17, 2024

Excerpt:

When you go to vote in the California primary, you may be surprised to see that in the race for U.S. Senate, you're asked to vote twice!

Plus, there are more names in the contest for the six-year Senate term, which starts in January 2025 than for the special election, which will last roughly a month once the November results are certified in early December. The point of the special election is to fill out the remainder of late California Senator Diane Feinstein's seat.

Adding to the confusion, Gov. Gavin Newsom's appointment - Laphonza Butler - decided not to run in either contest, so her name is not on the ballot.

By Carly Severn, KQED, February 2, 2024

Excerpt:

2024 is another big election year — and before the general election in November that’ll decide the next president of the United States, California has our Presidential Primary Election.

If you’re a registered California voter, your ballot is either on its way or has already arrived in your mailbox. But what if you make a mistake on your ballot as you’re filling it out? Or you’re just not sure how to fill it out in the first place?

Read on to learn how to fill out your ballot, how important your signature is, and your options if you need to start again with a fresh ballot.

First of all: Am I registered to vote?

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