California election workers will have the ability to keep their personal information private under a bill currently moving through the California Legislature. Senate Bill 1131, authored by State Senator Josh Newman (D- Fullerton) and co-sponsored by the California Voter Foundation and the Brennan Center for Justice, will allow election officials and their staff to enroll in state address confidentiality programs to shield their personal data from public exposure.
News Releases
August 19, 2021
Voters looking for reliable information about the upcoming statewide recall election will find it online at www.calvoter.org/covg.
The California Online Voter Guide is a nonpartisan resource designed to help voters make informed choices and produced by the California Voter Foundation for every statewide election since 1994.
Earlier this year, proponents of a ballot question to recall Governor Gavin Newsom were successful in collecting enough signatures to qualify this question for the ballot, with the election date set for September 14th, 2021.
“It is a short but counterintuitive ballot question,” said CVF President and Founder Kim Alexander. “Voters who are for keeping Gov. Newsom in office should cast a 'no' vote on the recall question. Voters who are against keeping him in office should vote 'yes' on the recall question.”
Grant to Establish a U.S. Election Officials’ Support Network
July 27, 2021
The California Voter Foundation (CVF) announced today it is beginning a new project to develop a nonpartisan, nationwide collaborative initiative of election community leaders to work together to support and defend U.S. election officials and election administration. The project is supported by a $157,000 grant awarded to CVF from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
Funding, education and legal safeguards are needed to protect democracy’s frontline workers
June 8, 2021
Sacramento, CA -- A new California Voter Foundation report sheds light on the threats and attacks U.S. election officials have endured in the wake of the 2020 election.
“Documenting and Addressing Harassment of Election Officials” features findings gathered through interviews with eleven election officials from six states along with eight of the nation’s leading election experts.
The report finds that ten of the eleven officials interviewed endured death threats, other threats or abusive language. The report is available online at www.calvoter.org/harassment.
December 23, 2020
Sacramento, CA -- Yesterday California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his choiceto replace Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to represent Californians in the U.S. Senate is Alex Padilla, California’s current Secretary of State.
Gov. Newsom’s pick for California’s next Secretary of State is Dr. Shirley Weber, a California Assemblymember representing the San Diego area.
October 1, 2020
Today the California Voter Foundation (CVF) released “The Voting Way”, a nonpartisan song and music video aimed at helping voters successfully cast 2020 ballots during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new song is available at:
calvoter.org/songs or https://youtu.be/laq-gb8qiu4
Young and newly registered voters had significantly higher rejection rates in three-county study
September 14, 2020
Sacramento, CA -- A new report finds on average 1.7 percent of vote-by-mail ballots cast in California have been rejected over the past decade. In three counties studied, young and newly registered voters were more likely than older voters to have their ballots rejected.
July 10, 2020
The California Voter Foundation is pleased to announce a gift of $25,000 received from Craig Newmark Philanthropies to support nonpartisan voter education and outreach activities to help Californians participate in the 2020 Presidential Election.
February 29, 2020
1. Of California’s 25.3 million eligible voters, 20.7 million, or 82 percent are registered as of February 18. This is this highest rate of registration heading into a California presidential primary in the past 68 years, according to California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla. California’s Presidential Primary, which was held in June in 2012 and 2016, is taking place this year on March 3, Super Tuesday, in an effort to give California voters a greater say in deciding who the presidential candidates will be.
2. For the first time, Californians can register at any voting site and vote on Election Day. Under SB 72, enacted in 2019, Californians can conditionally register and cast a conditional ballot at polling places if they have never been registered. Another law enacted just last month, SB 207, allows Californians who are registered but have moved within their county or wish to update their party preference to complete and sign a short form and cast a regular ballot. These reforms help voters who need to change their party preference so they can vote for the Presidential candidate of their choice, but may result in long lines at some voting sites on Election Day.
February 20, 2020
Sacramento, CA -- A growing percentage of California voters will cast vote-by-mail ballots in the state’s March 3 Presidential Primary, but not all of those ballots will get counted.
“While casting a vote-by-mail ballot is a popular option, it’s not without its challenges,” said California Voter Foundation (CVF) President Kim Alexander, whose organization works to improve the vote-by-mail process through research and legislative reforms.
In 2018, one out of every 100 vote-by-mail ballots cast got rejected according to data published by the Secretary of State. Mail ballots are rejected primarily for three reasons - arriving too late, or the voter forgetting to sign their ballot envelope, or the signature not sufficiently matching the voter’s signature on file.