Figure 9 Most Places Strongly Support State Policy To Protect Undocumented Immigrants But There Are Pockets Of Weakness
NOTES: Question wording is “Do you favor or oppose the California state and local governments making their own policies and taking actions, separate from the federal government, to protect the legal rights of undocumented immigrants?” Shading represents the share of Californians who say they favor independent action. Estimates come from a multilevel regression and poststratification model as described in Technical Appendix A. Full model results can be found in Technical Appendix B.
Los Angeles County Political Districtsseptember 2020
A “Sea of Blue.” Los Angeles Almanac map.
Los Angeles County is a “Sea of Blue” , according to September 2020 voter registrations. There are, however, nine cities in the county where registered Republicans number in first place . There are also four cities where “No Party Preference” registrations take the lead .
California Locations By Voter Registration
| This article needs to be . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. |
The following is a list of California locations by voter registration.
In October 2020, California had 22,047,448 registered voters, comprising 87.87% of its total eligible voters. Of those registered voters, 10,170,317 were registered , 5,334,323 were and, 5,283,853 were No Party Preference .
The with the highest percentage of registered Republicans was Modoc County, with registered Republicans comprising half of the registered voters. The ten counties with the highest percentage of registered Republicans are relatively small, with an average population of 91,776, and all but one are landlocked.
Similarly, the counties with the ten lowest percentages of registered voters are all relatively small and landlocked, with the exception of Monterey County. Kings County had the lowest percentage of registered voters, with just 34.7 percent of its population registered to vote. The two smallest counties in California by population also had the highest percentage of registered voters; Sierra County had the highest percentage, with 73.1 percent of its population registered to vote.
California Republicans Reclaim Second
They’re number two again!
California Republicans have reclaimed their second-place status in the pantheon of California voter preferences, surpassing no party-preference voters after having fallen behind them in 2018, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
New tallies show there are some 94,000 more registered Republican voters than party-less voters in California. Democrats still dominate, however, boasting some 4.7 million more registered voters than the GOP.
And the numbers suggest that Democrats have actually gained more from the drop in no-party-preference voters than Republicans have.
Why it matters: If the California Republican Party is going to claw back into relevancy, overtaking no party-preference voters is a good start. Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson took over in 2019 with a mandate to expand the party’s reach.
Still, the party has lots of work to do. There are still fewer registered Republicans than there were between 2000 and 2012, although the party is rebounding from its 2016 nadir.
Digging deeper: While California Republicans have leapfrogged no party-preference voters after dipping behind them, the unaffiliated electorate’s growth continues to be a major trend in California politics.
And Democrats saw the largest overall gains since last cycle, adding some 1.6 million registered voters. Their edge over Republicans increased by some 1.3 million voters between 2016 and 2020.
Record 22 Million Californians Registered To Vote Heading Into General Election
SACRAMENTO, CA– Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the final statewide Report of Registration ahead of the November 3, 2020, General Election. As of October 19, 2020, a record 22,047,448 Californians were registered to vote. This represents an increase of 2,635,677 registered voters since the last Report of Registration at a similar point in a presidential election cycle .
87.87% of eligible Californians are registered to vote. This is the highest percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote heading into a General Election in the past 80 years.
“For the first time, California now has more than 22 million registered voters,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “There are more voters registered in California than the number of people in the state of Florida! Record registration and a historic election points towards a big voter turnout, which could also mean longer lines and wait times on Election Day. If you haven’t voted yet, I highly recommend that you consider voting early.”
“If you missed the voter registration deadline, you still have to opportunity to vote using ‘Same Day’ Registration. 2020 marks the first year that voters can complete the ‘Same Day’ voter registration process and cast their ballot at any in-person voting location in the county or the county elections office,” Padilla added.
Trends in Statewide Voter Registration 1996 – 2020
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Registration Comparison October 19, 2020 Report vs. October 24, 2016 Report
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Once A Gop Hotbed Orange County Now Has More Registered Democrats Than Republicans
Orange County, California, a historically Republican stronghold that served as the North Star for Ronald Reagan-style conservatism, now has more voters registered as Democrats than Republicans.
According to released by the county, 547,458 Democrats are registered in the county, nearly 90 more than the 547,369 registered Republicans that reside there as of Wednesday morning. Of the nearly 1.6 million registered voters in the county, close to 27% of them do not currently have a party affiliation, according to the statistics.
The new figures, earlier reported by the Los Angeles Times, come nearly nine months after Democrats achieved a total takeover of congressional seats in the one-time Republican bastion, helping the party to secure control of the House, and provide a striking look at a county that Reagan once said was was a place where “good Republicans go to die.”
Democrats sweep Reagan Country in California
In last fall’s midterm elections, Republicans lost their grip on the wealthy enclaves along the coast in northern Orange County that comprise the district held by former 15-term Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. They lost by a much larger margin along the coast farther south in the district of former Rep. Darrell Issa, which includes the San Clemente home where former President Richard Nixon holed up to write his memoirs after resigning from the White House. That district is now represented by Democratic Rep. Mike Levin.
CNN’s Maeve Reston contributed to this report.
Number Of Registered Voters By State 2021
Voter registration is the requirement that a person eligible to vote registers on an electoral roll before that person is entitled or permitted to vote. Voter registration may be automatic or may require each eligible person to submit an application. Registration varies between jurisdictions.
Almost 92 million eligible Americans did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Voter registration and participation are crucial for the nation’s democracy to function properly and for the US government to provide fair representation.
Low voter registration numbers and low voter turnout can be the result of several factors. To increase voter registration and participation, barriers to registering to vote, and barriers to voting must be eliminated, such as additional restrictions on identification forms and reforms to ensure all eligible ballots will be securely counted. Additionally, those alienated from the democratic process or discouraged from voting must feel that their voice is heard by their leaders and encouraged to participate in elections.
Some pro-voter policies that have shown to increase voter registration and participation are:
- Automatic voter registration.
Figure 2 The Land Area Of The State Is Evenly Balanced Between The Two Parties
NOTE: Shading reflects share of votes cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election .
In Figure 2, California appears balanced between red and blue areas. But if we adjust the map so that places with more eligible residents take up more space, the blue places with large Democratic cities dominate the map, as shown in Figure 3. The interior may hold a majority of the state’s territory, but it accounts for a small fraction of its voting population.
Issues For Which Location Plays Some Role
Though taxes and concern about the budget show relatively little geographic variation, one topic that touches on similar issues of government size and scope—opinions of Obamacare—shows more . Support is strongest—between 60 and 70 percent—in the Bay Area and central and coastal LA, and weakest—less than 40 percent—in the rural far north and east of the state. Yet most of our places remain lukewarm toward the law, with support between about 40 and 60 percent. This includes most of the Central Valley and most of the coast outside of central and coastal LA and the Bay Area.
Watch This Space: A New California Attorney General
Newsom will make a big announcement as soon as Monday, selecting someone to fill the remaining 21 months of the current term as California’s attorney general, after Xavier Becerrawon Senate confirmation last week as President Biden‘s secretary of Health and Human Services.
It will be the third big vacancy Newsom has filled in as many months. Two politicians with significant state government experience — Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg — are considered to be on the short list, along with Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen and Contra Costa County Dist. Atty. Diana Becton.
Then again, a number of prominent Democrats have either informally or formally lobbied for the job. Both houses of the Legislature will have to confirm the new attorney general, who will also face a 2022 election season in which other hopefuls could throw their own hats into the ring.
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Favorability Of Political Parties
Essential Politics: California Independent Voters Begin To Fade
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This is the March 22, 2021, edition of the Essential Politics newsletter. Like what you’re reading? to get it in your inbox three times a week.
It has been a touchstone of California politics over the past three decades that the fastest-growing group of the state’s voters was shunning partisan labels in favor of being identified as unaffiliated voters, engaged in politics but not parties.
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The 30-year run for that bit of conventional wisdom has, at least for now, come to an end.
Figure 6 Unregistered Californians Make Republican Places More Democratic And Democratic Places More Republican
NOTE: The line shows equivalence: points on or near that line represent places where the unregistered have about the same partisan lean as the registered. Points below that line indicate places where the unregistered lean more Republican on average, and points above the line indicate places where the unregistered lean more Democratic on average.
The final partisan topic we examine is presidential approval. Figure 7 maps the difference between Trump approval and disapproval for each of our 46 places. Red areas have more people who approve than disapprove, while blue areas have the opposite.
Record High Percentage Of Voters Registered In California
Voter interest continues to grow in California as officials announced Thursday over 83% of the electorate has registered to vote, the highest entering a general election since 1952.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Voter interest continues to grow in California as officials announced Thursday over 83% of the electorate has registered to vote, the highest entering a general election since 1952.
Following a Super Tuesday in which a record 9.6 million Californians voted, Secretary of State Alex Padilla says the registration spike has continued even with the extended coronavirus shutdown.
“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, California is on track to reach another registration milestone,” Padilla said in a statement. “California will reach 21 million registered voters before the November General Election-extending our current state record for voter registration.”
After lawmakers bumped the primary up from June to March to encourage participation, California counted a record number of votes and notched its second highest turnout for a primary. Padilla and other officials said the move was a clear success as it forced presidential candidates to campaign in the nation’s largest state.
In the first registration report since the primary, Padilla says 2.8 million more people have signed up to vote compared to a similar point in the 2016 election cycle. A total of 20.9 million of the state’s 25 million eligible are slated to participate Nov. 3.
Additional Reads
Figure 1 The Bay Area And Los Angeles Are The Most Democratic But The Central/south Coast Is Trending That Way
NOTES: Trend lines show the Democratic share of votes cast in each presidential election . “Bay Area/north coast” includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma Counties. “Central/south coast ” includes Monterey, Orange, San Benito, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. “Los Angeles” includes only Los Angeles County, and “Interior” includes all other counties.
Crowded Republican Field Puts Democrats On Path To Victory In California Recall
California Recall ElectionGavin Newsom
Even if Republican voters turn out in significantly larger numbers than , it’ll be tough for conservative radio host Larry Elder, the top GOP candidate in California’s recall, to win the election if Governor Gavin Newsom is recalled.
Elder is leading in a field of more than four Republican candidates and a recent poll indicates that are twice as certain they’ll vote in the September recall than Democrats. However, in a heavily blue state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, an election that has five Republican candidates on the ballot makes the uphill climb even steeper for the GOP.
An August 4 from the San Diego Union-Tribune found Elder leading the Republican field with 43 percent of GOP voters’ support. John Cox received the second-most support, at 18 percent. The rest of the Republicans polled were split between other candidates or undecided.
The crowded ballot means Republicans are likely to split their votes, so the GOP’s best strategy at winning the election would be to consolidate votes to one candidate. Assuming the GOP was able to rally voters around Elder, it would put him within striking distance of Democratic candidate Kevin Paffrath, who received 58 percent support from members of his own party, according to the poll.
If voters oust Newsom from office in the recall election, failing to have another Democrat on the ballot could put Paffrath on a path to the governor’s office.
Issues For Which Location Drives Opinion
Two of our issue questions showed strong geographic disagreement: housing and gun control. On these topics, the dense urban areas of the state hold far different opinions than more-rural areas.
California is in the midst of a housing crisis. The cost of housing is pricing people out of the state and contributes to high poverty rates . Overall, 67 percent of Californians say that housing affordability is a big problem in their part of the state. Figure 10 reveals clear geographic differences, especially between the coast and the inland areas. In most parts of the Bay Area, concern is remarkably high. This includes the counties of San Francisco , Marin , San Mateo , and Santa Clara , as well as in the East Bay . At the other extreme, concern falls below 40 percent in the most rural parts of the state, suggesting that there remain places in California where neither housing prices nor concern about them has reached elevated levels.
Use Of Voter Registration Pi
Information on your voter registration affidavit will be used by elections officials to send you official information on the voting process, such as the location of your polling place and the issues and candidates that will appear on the ballot. Commercial use of voter registration information is prohibited by law and is a misdemeanor. Voter information may be provided to a candidate for office, a ballot measure committee, or other persons for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes, as determined by the Secretary of State. Driver’s license and social security numbers, or your signature as shown on your voter registration card, cannot be released for these purposes. If you have any questions about the use of voter information or wish to report suspected misuse of such information, please call the Secretary of State’s Voter Protection and Assistance Hotline.
Certain voters facing life-threatening situations may qualify for confidential voter status. For more information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Safe At Home program or visit the Secretary of State’s website.
Presidential Election In California 2020
| Presidential election by state, 2020 |
Former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election in California on November 3, 2020.
Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020. President Donald Trump won the Republican primary.
California has the most electoral votes of any state, and its 55 votes account for more than 10 percent of all available electoral votes. In the past three elections, the Democratic candidate has received more than 60 percent of the vote. The Republican candidate has not won the state since George H. W. Bush in 1988.
This page includes the following sections:
Presidential election results in California, 2020
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman | |
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel | |
| Jesse Ventura/Cynthia McKinney |
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Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 17,500,881 |
California Democratic presidential primary on March 3, 2020
| Total votes: 5,784,364 • Total pledged delegates: 415 |
California Republican presidential primary on March 3, 2020
| Total votes: 2,471,580 • Total pledged delegates: 172 |
California Green presidential primary on March 3, 2020
| Total votes: 11,612 • Total pledged delegates: 0 |
California Libertarian presidential primary on March 3, 2020
| Total votes: 28,535 • Total pledged delegates: 0 |
California American Independent presidential primary on March 3, 2020
| Total votes: 56,568 • Total pledged delegates: 0 |
California Peace and Freedom presidential primary on March 3, 2020
A Dramatic Slide Since 1990
Before the early 1990s, the state’s political character was much different. Between 1948 and 1992, the IGS authors said, California consistently favored Republican presidential candidates, with the only exception being the 1964 reelection campaign of Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson.
Thirty years ago, the party registration numbers were dramatically different, the IGS poll reported. Nearly four in five voters then were white, with Latinx voters accounting for 10% of the electorate, Black voters accounting for 7% and Asian Americans, 4%.
IGS co-Director Cristina Mora cited 1994 as an emblematic year for Republican power in that era.
“For a time,” Mora said, “the state Republican Party was able to make gains in statewide elections, relying on the heavy turnout of white voters. This culminated with the reelection of Republican Pete Wilson as governor in 1994 and with the passage of some of the nation’s toughest anti-immigration laws, including Proposition 187.”
But that power has largely faded.
This year, the proportion of white voters statewide has fallen to 53%, compared to 27% for Latinx voters, 14% for Asian Americans and 6% for Black voters. And Democrats hold all statewide offices, from the governor’s office on down.
The Berkeley IGS Poll findings are based on a statewide survey completed online in English and Spanish between Oct. 16 and 21, 2020, by Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies . The margin of error is estimated at plus or minus two percentage points.
Voter Numbers Show Democrats Strengthen Hold On California
Democrats are strengthening their hold on California, a state the party has dominated for years, voter registration figures showed Thursday.
Figures issued by Secretary of State Alex Padilla showed Democrats eclipse Republicans by nearly a 2-1 margin. Independents, those voters not affiliated with any party, also continue to outnumber GOP voters, though narrowly.
The data also showed that 83.5% of eligible Californians are registered to vote — the highest percentage heading into a general election in 68 years.
Padilla said in a statement that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the state is on track to hit 21 million registered voters before the November election, which would be a record.
Republican registration has dwindled to 24%, down from 27% at the same time before the 2016 presidential election. Republican numbers actually increased slightly from 2018, by about 280,000 voters, but the party’s overall percentage has been dropping as most new voters are registering as independents or Democrats.
Democratic registration was pegged at 46%, up 1 percentage point since 2016. The party added over 1 million new voters since 2018.
The latest data underscore trends that have seen the GOP become largely irrelevant in statewide politics, though the party retains pockets of political influence, particularly in rural areas.
The widening Democratic edge is unwelcome news for Republicans hoping to regain ground in California in November.
Figure 8 Support For The Affordable Care Act Is Concentrated In Highly Democratic Areas
NOTES: Question wording is “A health reform bill was signed into law in 2010, known commonly as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Given what you know about the health reform law, do you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of it?” Shading represents the share of Californians who say they have a favorable opinion. Estimates come from a multilevel regression and poststratification model as described in Technical Appendix A. Full model results can be found in Technical Appendix B.
Immigration is another topic with modest but not high geographic disagreement. Under the Trump administration, immigration has become a key political issue and a flash point between California and the federal government. Californians broadly support a fairly tolerant attitude toward immigrants: 72 percent believe immigrants are a benefit to the state, and 60 percent support the state taking separate action to protect undocumented immigrants. In almost every one of our places, a majority considers immigrants a benefit . Support for a separate state immigration policy shows slightly more variation, falling below 50 percent in 14, mostly rural, places and rising above 70 percent in very liberal places like San Francisco and central LA . Yet outside these places, views are similar throughout the rest of the state.
