CVF in the News

Nine of the 16 races that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives are in California. No state takes longer to tally votes.

By Soumya Karlamangla, Orlando Mayorquín and Coral Murphy Marcos, New York Times, November 11, 2024

Excerpts:

The nation is again waiting on California to finish tallying votes almost a week after Election Day.

The state has most of the remaining undecided races that will determine the balance of power in the House, and its slow vote-counting process has drawn greater scrutiny — and some scorn — as each day goes by.

While many states tallied the bulk of their ballots within hours of polls’ closing on Tuesday, California still had nearly five million to count going into this holiday weekend, just under a third of all of the ballots that were cast there.

Leaders in California, the nation’s most populous state, defend the deliberate process as necessary to ensure that the tallies are accurate and that as many voters participate as possible. They say their generous provisions for voters give the public greater confidence.

CA’s long vote count

By Lynn La, Cal Matters, November 8, 2024

Excerpt:

California Democrats and their allies are battening down the hatches for Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.

On Thursday Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special session to prepare the state for likely legal challenges against the Trump administration, write CalMatters Capitol reporters Jeanne Kuang and Alexei Koseff. During Trump’s first term, the state sued the federal government more than 100 times, and is expected to come to blows again over regulations on reproductive rights, immigration, gun control and more.

But taking the feds to court doesn’t come cheap. The session, which will begin Dec. 2 when the new Legislature is sworn in, will mostly focus on approving funding for California’s Department of Justice and other state agencies — perhaps as much as $100 million — to file “robust affirmative litigation.” 

By Vicki Gonzalez, CapRadio, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Many voters might be opening their ballots for the first time, with just hours to go before polls close on Election Day. Kim Alexander is the President and Founder of the California Voter Foundation and provides some last-minute tips on filling out your ballot, as well as the importance of participating in the elections process. (Full Audio)

 

By Keith Mizuguchi, KQED, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

It’s the final day to vote in the 2024 general election. While millions of Californians have already cast their ballots, many more will head to the polls Tuesday to vote on local measures, state propositions and our next president.

Kim Alexander, President of the California Voter Foundation, says if you haven’t voted yet, there’s still time. “Vote as early as you can. It could get busy. You are entitled under California law to take up to two hours off of work to vote. You needed to ask for that last Friday from your boss. So if you didn’t, they may not grant it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask,” Alexander said.

By Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Over 7.6 million ballots were cast in California before the final days of voting, but the counting process will take days if not weeks. The uncertainty, heightened by the state’s universal mail-in voting system, may fuel doubts and conspiracy theories about election integrity. In response, state and local officials are working to reassure the public that all ballots are secure and will be counted accurately.

To enhance transparency, the California Voter Foundation launched an initiative to monitor ballot counting in seven key congressional districts, providing updates on the count and candidate margins starting Tuesday until Dec. 5. 

“We have more competitive races and narrower margins in California today than we used to,” Kim Alexander, the foundation’s president, said in a statement. “In some contests, practically every single ballot must be counted before a winner can be determined.” 

By Molly Burke, San Francisco Chronicle, November 5, 2024

Excerpt:

Election Day is here, and for the millions of Californians who have already voted, there are steps they can take to make sure their ballots are counted.

After researching and taking time to complete a pages-long ballot, thousands of voters statewide each election have their votes rejected for their signatures, or lack thereof. Whether you forgot to sign your ballot return envelope or signed it in a way that doesn’t match previous signatures, your ballot can be fixed in the weeks after the election.

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Here is how to make sure your vote is counted.

Mail-in ballots on Election Day

For voters submitting mail-in ballots on Election Day, the safest option for making sure your vote is counted is to drop off the ballot at a voting site before they close at 8 p.m.

By Lynn La, CalMatters, November 4, 2024

Excerpt:

There are only two more days to vote in California, and more than 7.6 million Californians have cast their ballots. But the counting will last for days, if not weeks, before news outlets declare all the winners or candidates concede. 

The delays and uncertainty — which have grown since California started sending mail ballots to all voters — can sow doubts or even conspiracy theories. So state and local election officialsare trying to reassure voters that their ballots are safe against cyber and other attacks and will be counted.

To bring more transparency and build public trust in the count, the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation is launching a new project that, in seven swing congressional districts, will track how many ballots have been counted, how many ballots remain to be tallied and the margin between the two candidates. The updates will start Tuesday and end Dec. 5.

By Kat Schuster, Yahoo News! November 4, 2024

Excerpt:

More than 8 million Californians already cast their ballots just one day before the election, but even with the advantage of early voting, it's likely to take several days to determine the winner of several races.

In this election, several key races are highly competitive, with narrow margins of victory anticipated, making it a challenge to know the winners on Election Day, according to the California Voter Foundation.

And this election will be a nail-biter, since it will decide who sits in the White House and determine the balance of power in Congress.

And while the latest polls showed a landslide of support for Vice President Kamala Harris in blue California, national polling placed the presidential contest on a knife's edge. Harris and former president Donald Trump are battling down to the wire in swing states.

By Chris Woodyard, Stocktonia, November 1, 2024

Exceprt:

If you want to vote in person before Election Day, you may wish you lived somewhere besides San Joaquin County.

That’s because you have only one in-person option — weekdays at the county registrar’s office in downtown Stockton.

Nearby counties give voters more places where they can cast a ballot.

Contra Costa opens five voting centers, starting Friday. Stanislaus County opened six this week, with more coming this weekend. Sacramento voters have their choice of 16.

To cast a ballot early in San Joaquin County, a voter must go to the registrar’s office at 44 N. San Joaquin St. during its normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That means this Friday or Monday — not Saturday or Sunday.

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By Kitty O'Neal, KFBK News Radio, November 1, 2024

Kim Alexander, Founder and President California Voter Foundation.  The California Voter Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working through research, oversight, outreach and demonstration projects to improve the election process so that it better serves the needs and interests of voters. (Full Audio)

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