Election Day is finally here.
Today is the last day to cast your ballot, either by mail or in person. Today is your last chance to weigh in on 12 propositions that could affect California’s economic, political, and social landscape for generations. Today is your final opportunity to decide who will represent you in the state Assembly, state Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Already, 55% of California’s more than 22 million registered voters have returned their ballots. That’s 83% of the record 14.6 million votes Californians cast during the 2016 general election.
- Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc.: “It’s undeniable, absolutely factual, 100% we’re going to set a record in the total number of votes cast in an election in California.”
But don’t expect to know the outcome of competitive California races tonight, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher warns. Though counties have been pre-processing ballots and will likely release their first vote totals around 8 p.m., they will also accept ballots through Nov. 20 — as long as they were postmarked today. And it takes time to count provisional ballots, those sent to the wrong county or with incorrect signatures, and those cast by voters who register today.
Still, if you want to watch results as they come in, check out this CalMatters live tracker. (Interested in embedding it in your website? Contact Aldrin Brown at aldrin@calmatters.org.)
Californians are also making their voices heard in ways other than voting. Thousands of Trump supporters gathered over the weekend with car caravans in Temecula, Marin City, Sacramento, and other cities; a boat parade in San Diego; and a massive rally in Beverly Hills. In San Francisco, a group of students took to the streets to protest Trump.
Many of the rallies were peaceful, despite concerns that things will turn violent if the outcome of the presidential election remains in dispute after tonight. But the caravan in Marin City proved contentious, with members of the majority-minority community alleging that Trump supporters yelled racial epithets at children and caravan members saying their cars were pelted with eggs and paintballs.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
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