Capitol Weekly editor Rich Ehisen with Susannah Delano of Close the GapCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Susannah Delano, Executive Director at Close the Gap California, joined us to talk about the work of identifying and preparing women to run for elected office, and about the very real challenges women face when they choose to enter public life.
A 2019 political rally in San Diego for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. (Photo: John Hancock, via Shutterstock)Watching analyses of this coming election can be a bit like watching a tennis match. The lead in many races – from US Senate contests to local competitive house and legislative districts, has seemingly volleyed back and forth for months. If it all seems less stable than past elections, that’s not just your perception – it really is.
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Political data-cruncher, and frequent Capitol Weekly Podcast guest, Paul Mitchell joins us to read the political tea leaves, 30 days out from the 2022 election.
An illustration of a voter making choices online, as opposed to a traditional ballot or petition. (Image: Marko Aliaksandr, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Most everyone has had the experience of being approached by someone outside a library, grocery store or entertainment venue carrying a clipboard, asking you to sign their petition for some issue they want on the ballot. Many of us have had someone come to our door asking us to sign a petition to get their favorite candidate on the ballot.
A newspaper's election gives readers information about the Sept. 14, 2021, recall election. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)California’s attention was focused recently on the failed attempt to recall Gov. Newsom as a rare event of historical magnitude. In fact, recall elections happen all the time, and all but a relative handful of these obscure contests disappear into the limbo of history.
A photo illustration of whisper campaigns and conspiracies. (Image: Valery Sidelnykov, via Shutterstock)In our culture, conspiracy theories are running rampant, and elections seem to be particularly prone to the craziest among them. Republicans, led by the president, have claimed that vote-by-mail is unsafe, non-citizens are registered to vote and casting ballots. Ballot “harvesting” is causing rampant voter fraud, President Trump says, and the system is being rigged against him. Even Attorney General Bill Barr claimed, incorrectly, that vote-by-mail eliminates the secret nature of voting in the US.
A Census worker canvassing a neighborhood. (Photo: Wayne Via, Shutterstock)Pushing back the census deadlines could have a profound political impact on California, ultimately forcing the state to draw scores of political districts for the 2022 elections within a tiny, two-week window. The Trump administration’s plan, announced earlier by Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, calls for a 120-day delay in developing and reporting the finished data.
Some of the district boundaries of Los Angeles City Council seats. (Image: City of Los Angeles)California has become a model for non-partisan, transparent, open and fair redistricting. The state commission’s focus on legitimate redistricting practices — like enforcing the Voting Rights Act, preserving communities of interest, reducing any splitting of cities and counties, even drawing lines without regard to partisanship or incumbency — have earned praise among policymakers and researchers around the country.
Left to right: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg. (Illustration: Tim Foster)
California political data guru Paul Mitchell joins Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about — what else? — the 2020 elections. Who’s up, who’s down and who’s burning through their dough?
An illustration suggesting the variations in the voting population. (Image: Julian Tromeur, via Shutterstock)There are plenty of things to look at now that California counties have updated their voter files with the 2018 general election vote history. This is our first chance to see what really happened, as opposed to what people thought had happened based on the outcomes.