CVF in the News

EXPLAINER: Why California Has So Many Votes Left to Count

By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press, November 16, 2022

Excerpt:

California delivered Republicans the seat they needed Wednesday to take control of the U.S. House, but just how much of an edge the GOP will have in the chamber remains uncertain as the state’s seemingly drawn-out vote count continues.

After the balance of power in Washington sat in limbo for days, Republican incumbent Mike Garcia's victory in the 27th Congressional District finally won the party its 218th seat. Five of the seven other races The Associated Press has yet to call are in California, though one is between two Democrats.

In some of those races, ballots are coming in at a trickle.

Placer County in California's 3rd Congressional District, for example, reports that it has more than 105,000 outstanding ballots. The county added just 490 votes to its totals in the district Tuesday, and it doesn't expect to report results again until Friday.

Too-close-to-call California congressional races may decide U.S. House majority

By Madisen Keavy, CBS Sacramento, November 14, 2022

Excerpt:

Too-close-to-call congressional races in California may decide power in the U.S. House of Representatives, from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan group that tracks and researches election results, has five California congressional races deemed a "toss-up" and six that are considered competitive.

Congressional District 9, between Democratic candidate Josh Harder and Republican Tom Patti, according to the Cook Political Report is leaning Democrat, which means the race is competitive but one party has an advantage.

Congressional District 13, between Democratic candidate and Assemblyman Adam Gray and Republican candidate and farmer John Duarte is dubbed a toss-up, and still too close to call.

Both Duarte and Gray were in Washington D.C. on Monday for new member orientation.

Why it could take weeks to get final L.A. election results. ‘We aren’t sitting on ballots’

By Julia Wick & Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2022

Excerpt:

An adage known as the election administrator’s prayer goes something like this: “Dear Lord, let this election not be close.”

When results are overwhelmingly clear, there are far fewer doubts about the integrity of the election process or frustrations with the procedures.

But in Tuesday’s hotly contested Los Angeles mayor’s race between Rick Caruso and Karen Bass, as well as some down-ballot contests, the results are not overwhelmingly clear. In fact, it could take weeks to determine a winner in some races.

California’s shift to mail-in balloting means that voting begins weeks before election day and tabulation continues for weeks after, meaning results can remain murky in all but the most lopsided races immediately following an election.

Slow election results might show a wider access to voting opportunities

By Staff, KNX Los Angeles, November 10, 2022

We keep waiting and waiting for election results but so far nothing to point us toward any kind of definitive conclusion to the midterm elections or even key local elections like the LA mayor's race. Why does it take so long? Kim Alexander is president of the California Voter Foundation.

Fact Check-Noncitizens cannot vote in California congressional elections

By Reuters Fact Check, Reuters, November 9, 2022

Excerpts:

Noncitizens are not eligible to vote in California congressional elections, despite the claim resurfacing online ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Social media users shared a graphic online with text that reads: “Now that California is registering non-citizens to vote and has refused to cooperate with the Federal Election Integrity Program, all votes from California should be nullified and Federal Representatives from the state be removed from Congress.”

Examples of the claim shared online can be found (here), (here), (here).

Votes are being counted with "pig and the python" phenomenon in effect

By Madisen Keavy, CBS Sacramento, November 9, 2022

Excerpt:

Thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are stacked in the Placer County Elections Office waiting to be processed and then counted, as part of the democratic process.

There are crucial and legal steps that the teams reviewing mail-in ballots must adhere to in California to ensure every vote is accurately counted, there are no duplicate votes, and the signature on the ballot matches the name it's been assigned.

The process is happening in counties all over the country and across California, especially, due to the fact that all active registered voters in the state receive a vote-by-mail ballot. A shift from two decades in the state, according to voting experts.

On Midterm Election Day, Experts Tackle Election Myths

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service, November 8, 2022

Excerpts:

Millions of Californians have already voted but millions more will head to the polls today - to either vote in person or drop off their mail-in ballot. Groups that fight for clean elections want to clear up some myths about the ballot this year.

Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said some people worry, mistakenly thinking they have to vote on every race.

"This is a pretty long ballot," Alexander said. "And if you don't feel comfortable making a decision on something on the ballot, you're free to skip that contest and move on to the next ballot."

Voting by mail, drop box a big part of turnout on a rainy midterm Election Day

By Janelle Salanga, Capital Public Radio, November 8, 2022

Excerpts:

Despite the rain Tuesday, election officials in the Sacramento region say early impressions of voter turnout are relatively consistent with the rates of voting in midterm elections.

Ballots will continue to be counted and tabulated over the following days and weeks, so a fuller picture of turn-out won’t be available immediately – ballots postmarked by Election Day may arrive up to a week later, meaning a more solid snapshot of turn-out won’t be available until at least Nov. 15.

Early waves of reported results will reflect vote-by-mail ballots turned in early and ballots cast in-person at election sites.

In Sacramento County, spokesperson Janna Haynes said around 6:30 p.m., roughly 11,000 people had voted in-person on Tuesday — “a drop in the bucket in comparison to our complete voter turnout.”

Are 2022 midterms fair? How election officials are fighting conspiracies

By Nihar Patel, KCRW, November 8, 2022

Excerpts:

Some candidates nationwide have indicated they will not necessarily accept the results of the 2022 midterm races, and election officials are dealing with harassment. Between 1000-1500 threats have been reported to the Department of Justice in the last year.

“All of this has been a political manipulation,” says Mindy Romero, founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. “It started in 2016 in earnest … we saw the president of the United States at the time, and many others since, who’ve really used this for political gain.”

Romero also points to increased political polarization as a cause — seeing people of the other political party as “really just absolutely counter to who we are, and potentially evil.”

Election Day | Last Minute Tips | Latino Vote | Author ‘Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath.’

By Vicki Gonzalez, Capital Public Radio, November 8, 2022

Kim Alexander, President of the California Voter Foundation, joins us to navigate last-minute voting in California and the greater Sacramento area. We will also discuss new protections afforded to election day workers and monitor any news regarding irregularities or voter intimidation across the country and here at home. (Full Audio, scroll down to "Last minute voting tips")

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