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California Hosts First Formal Presidential Debate

Transcript excerpt:

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

Tonight California receives a sign of its enlarged role in the presidential nominating process. The most populous state used to hold its primary at the end of the voting season, by which time party nominees were often decided. In 2020, California votes earlier. And today Los Angeles, Calif., will host a Democratic presidential debate. Seven candidates will be onstage.

Here's Scott Shafer from our member station KQED.

SCOTT SHAFER, BYLINE: Two years ago, frustrated by always being in the shadow of Iowa and New Hampshire, California State Senator Ricardo Lara introduced a bill to move up the state's presidential primary from June to March.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RICARDO LARA: The Prime Time Primary bill would make us one of the first states to hold a presidential primary and ensure our state's voters are heard on the national stage.

SHAFER: The bill passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law. For decades, California has gone back and forth between holding its presidential primary in March and June with mixed results.

KIM ALEXANDER: We are 1 in 8 voters in the country, so we do want California to have a say.

SHAFER: Kim Alexander is president of the California Voter Foundation, a strong supporter of changing the primary date. She says it's now or never to have an impact, given that California isn't one of the few swing states in November.

ALEXANDER: If we want Californians to have a voice in deciding who the president is, we really have to focus on the primary.

Will Tonight's Democratic Debate in Los Angeles Spotlight California Issues?

Excerpt:

Seven Democratic presidential hopefuls will square off tonight in Los Angeles, marking the candidates' first formal debate in California, and likely the best opportunity to hear them discuss issues pertinent to voters in the nation's most populous state.

And in this presidential primary, the stakes here are actually high.

Will you support CVF’s work helping voters this Giving Tuesday?

Now more than ever, voters need an election process they can trust.

For 25 years, The California Voter Foundation has worked to help voters make informed choices and vote with confidence. 

From innovating the Internet as a tool for nonpartisan voter education, to shedding “digital sunlight” through electronic filing and online disclosure of campaign donations, to securing the vote by requiring paper ballots and post-election audits, CVF operates at the place where democracy and technology intersect, improving the voting process to better serve voters. 

Presidential Election is Now Just One Year Away

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The race to the White House is getting more intense, with the presidential election now officially one year away.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading President Trump 50 to 41 percent among registered voters. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts leads the president by 8 points -- 50 to 42 percent.

The poll was conducted Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, with 900 adults reached, half of them by cellphone. It presents a snapshot of voter sentiment now, but a lot can change over the next 12 months.

CVF-News roundup: Oct. 29th CVF anniversary party, 2019 legislative update, Capitol Weekly podcast

Hi Folks,

I'm very excited about CVF's upcoming 25th anniversary party on October 29th in Sacramento and hope you can join us! Tickets are $50 and going fast so please reserve your spot today! More details as well as a legislative update and link to Capitol Weekly's recent podcast highlighting CVFs accomplishments are below.

- Kim Alexander, President & Founder
California Voter Foundation


Celebrate CVF's 25 year anniversary on October 29th!

CVF board members, staff, supporters, colleagues and friends will be joining together in Sacramento on Tuesday evening, Oct. 29th at Paesano's Portofino Room in midtown Sacramento to celebrate the organization's 25 year anniversary working to improve the voting process!

Please join us for delicious pizza, snacks and drinks, and to recognize the people who are the heroes behind the California Voter Foundation. The program will include an awards ceremony, photo slideshow and a video presentation highlighting CVF's projects and achievements over the years. Register online via Eventbrite.

CVF urges Gov. Newsom to help voters by signing SB 523, SB 72 and AB 681 into law

In the final days of this year's legislative session, the California Legislature passed three important bills supported by the California Voter Foundation and many other voter advocacy groups.

If signed into law, SB 72, SB 523 and AB 681 will enact important reforms that will improve the voting process and experience for potentially hundreds of thousands of California voters. CVF is urging Gov. Newsom to sign these bills into law to ensure all Californians can exercise their voting rights in 2020 and beyond:

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