News

30 for our 30th

Excerpt:

Skeptics might call them do-gooders. But in today’s world—when we could surely use as much good as possible—what’s wrong with that?

To highlight the 30th anniversary of SN&R, we want to recognize 30 people who embody our mission: To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

On purpose, the vast majority on this list are not high-profile politicians, the rich and powerful or other bold names. Many come from the nonprofit world, not well-known to the general public but working every day to help the less fortunate and to make public policy smarter and more humane. Some have been in the trenches for many years, while others are just emerging as leaders.

Like any list like this, it’s rather subjective. There are many others in the Sacramento region who are doing yeoman’s work and also deserving of praise.

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Kim Alexander

President of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, she’s a strong advocate for more informed voters having a bigger say, and for voters across the state having equal access to participate. Her group is particularly focused on making sure that technology helps—not harms—our democracy.

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CVF-News Roundup: Voting Tech, Legislation & More

Hi Folks,

It's been a busy time and this isuse of CVF-News will bring you up to speed on some of the things we've been involved and upcoming events and activities with the Legislature, Secretary of State, and Future of Califonria Elections. We are also preparing for Big Day of Giving 2019 and hope we will be able to count on your support on May 2 to help CVF continue our work improving the voting process to better serve voters.

-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation

The 33rd state Senate special election saw dismal voter turnout; up north it was a different story

Excerpts:

Two special elections were held in California on Tuesday, both for state Senate seats, and the enthusiasm among voters couldn’t have been more different.

In the Northern California’s 1st District, 26 percent of voters showed up to cast ballots. In the 33rd, which includes Long Beach and parts of southeast Los Angeles County, less than 7 percent showed up.

How California’s early primary illustrates the state’s political inferiority complex

Excerpt:

California loves to talk about itself in superlatives: The nation’s most populous state. The fifth-largest economy in the world. Producer of tech titans and Hollywood blockbusters and a whole lot of fruits and veggies.

But even as it basks in its outsize economic and cultural influence, something has been gnawing at the state’s psyche. When it comes to presidential politics, we’re more backbencher than behemoth.

In Closely Watched Central Valley Congressional Elections, Some Voters Were Misled at Polls

Excerpt:

In two fiercely contested Central Valley congressional races in November, where long-serving Republican incumbents Jeff Denham and David Valadao both ended up losing their seats by thin margins to their Democratic challengers, some voters were confused and misinformed at the polls.

Modesto attorney Lisa Battista, who coordinated a group of volunteer election observers, said polling places in Stanislaus County ran out of pink envelopes used to separate provisional ballots on election night.

Counting California's ballots; Check your ballot status online

Hi Folks,

While the election took place nine days ago, it is far from over. Millions of California ballots still remain to be counted. Voters and election officials alike are working to correct problems with vote-by-mail envelopes that are missing voters' signatures or the signatures are mismatched. Several California contests are still too close to call. Read below for more details on the status of the vote count and what Californians can and should be doing right now to ensure their vote-by-mail ballots get counted.

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