News

Close Count Update: What happened overnight

While the Presidential Election has already been decided, there are many contests in California that are still too close to call. CVF's new Close Count Transparency Project launched last night and we are tracking eleven congressional races, the outcome of which will help decide which party controls the House of Representatives next year. Additional close legislative races are being added to the CVF tracker.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber | Early Vote Tracking | Last Minute Voting Tips

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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)

 

How California is ensuring transparency as ballot counting begins

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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.

Here’s how to ‘cure’ your ballot if it’s rejected by election officials

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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.

When Will CA's Election Results Be Known In 2024?

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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.

Announcing the Close Count Transparency Project

To help the public monitor results in California’s close elections, the California Voter Foundation (CVF) is launching the Close Count Transparency Project, online at www.calvoter.org/closecount.

Beginning November 5th and continuing until the county certification deadline on December 5th, CVF will provide daily updates on the status of vote counts in California’s most competitive political districts, providing a timely and trustworthy source of vital election information.

“The process of verifying and counting California ballots takes longer today than it used to, largely due to the expanded use of vote-by-mail balloting,” said CVF President Kim Alexander, the project’s director, noting that since 2020, all registered voters automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot.  “In close contests, determining winners can take days or even weeks. CVF’s Close Count Transparency Project will give the public, media, and campaigns a clearer picture, day-by-day, of how many ballots have been counted, how many ballots remain to be counted, and the margin of difference between the two candidates.”

The project will incorporate data from unofficial election results posted on state and local election agency websites and will initially track seven California congressional contests widely viewed as the state’s most competitive. The outcome of these contests will help decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the U.S. House of Representatives after the election. 

In 2022, CVF launched a pilot project tracking results in the same seven congressional districts. Three (CD 13, CD 22 and CD 41) feature a rematch this year of the same 2022 candidates. The 2022 tracking sheet is also available to view and shows how CD 13’s margin was incredibly close throughout the 2022 count, ranging from 0.1 to 0.7 percent, and was ultimately decided more than three weeks after Election Day by less than 600 votes.

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