2020 California elections

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2020 California elections
Flag of California.svg
  2018 November 3, 2020 2022  
Registered22,047,448 [1]
Turnout80.67% (Increase2.svg 16.13 pp) [1]

The California state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Unlike previous election cycles, the primary elections were held on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020. [2]

Contents

In addition to the U.S. presidential race, California voters elected all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate. Neither of the state's two U.S. Senate seats were up for election in 2020.

Pursuant to Proposition 14 passed in 2010, California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary for almost all races, with the presidential primary races being the notable exception. Under the nonpartisan blanket primary system, all the candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once during the primary. The candidates receiving the most and second-most votes in the primary election then become the contestants in the general election.

President of the United States

California, a stronghold for the Democratic Party, has 55 electoral votes in the Electoral College. Joe Biden won with 63% of the popular vote. On December 14, 2020, California cast its electoral votes for Joe Biden. [3]

United States presidential election in California
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Joe Biden 11,110,250 63.48% +1.75
Republican Donald Trump (incumbent)6,006,42934.32%+2.70
Libertarian Jo Jorgensen 187,8951.07%−2.30
Green Howie Hawkins 81,0290.46%−1.51
American Independent Rocky De La Fuente 60,1600.34%N/A
Peace and Freedom Charlie Bourbon51,0370.29%−0.18
Write-in 4,0810.02%
Total votes17,500,881 100.00%
Democratic win

United States House of Representatives

There are 53 U.S. Representatives in California that were all up for election. The Democratic Party won 42 seats while the Republican Party won 11 seats. Three districts were gained by the Republican Party: the 21st, 39th, and 48th.

State senate

The 20 California State Senators in the odd-numbered districts were up for election. Out of the contested seats, Democrats won 17 and Republicans won 3. The resulting composition was 31 Democrats and 9 Republicans. Two districts were gained by the Democratic Party: the 29th and 37th.

State Assembly

All 80 representatives in the California State Assembly were up for election. The resulting composition was 60 Democrats, 19 Republicans, and one independent. The Republican Party gained the 38th district.

Propositions

Since the passage of a November 2011 law, only propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature may appear on the primary ballot, and all qualifying measures placed via petition are automatically moved to the general election ballot. [4]

Primary election

Prop 13 was a $15 billion bond measure to fund seismic retrofitting and other capital improvements on various California public preschool, K-12, and college campuses. [5] Supporters argued that these improvements would make public schools safer and healthier. Opponents said that the actual total cost of the bonds plus interest would exceed $27 billion, more expensive than using funds directly from the regular state budget. [6] It failed by a margin of 6 percentage points.
Proposition 13 [7]
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No4,856,15453.01
Yes4,304,01346.99
Total votes9,160,167100.00

General election

Proposition 14
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes8,588,15651.12
No8,211,69248.88
Total votes16,799,848100.00
Proposition 15
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No8,885,05251.97
Yes8,212,64148.03
Total votes17,097,693100.00
Proposition 16
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No9,655,02457.23
Yes7,216,72142.77
Total votes16,871,745100.00
Proposition 17
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes9,985,06558.55
No7,068,70641.45
Total votes17,053,771100.00
Proposition 18
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No9,577,23856.04
Yes7,513,95743.96
Total votes17,091,195100.00
Proposition 19
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes8,545,39351.11
No8,175,61848.89
Total votes16,721,011100.00
Proposition 20
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No10,293,56361.72
Yes6,385,42138.28
Total votes16,678,984100.00
Proposition 21
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No10,094,63459.85
Yes6,770,95840.15
Total votes16,865,592100.00
Proposition 22
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes9,957,85858.63
No7,027,46741.37
Total votes16,985,325100.00
Proposition 23
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No10,683,60663.42
Yes6,161,10936.58
Total votes16,844,715100.00
Proposition 24
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes9,384,12556.23
No7,305,02643.77
Total votes16,689,151100.00
Proposition 25
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No9,356,09656.41
Yes7,231,04443.59
Total votes16,587,140100.00

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Proposition 60 was an amendment of the Constitution of California, enacted in 2004, guaranteeing the right of a party participating in a primary election to also participate in the general election that follows. It was proposed by the California Legislature and approved by the voters in referendum held as part of the November 2004 election, by a majority of 67%.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in California</span> Overview of the procedure of elections in the U.S. state of California

Elections in California are held to fill various local, state and federal seats. In California, regular elections are held every even year ; however, some seats have terms of office that are longer than two years, so not every seat is on the ballot in every election. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Recall elections can also be held. Additionally, statewide initiatives, legislative referrals and referendums may be on the ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 California elections</span>

The California state elections, November 2008 were held on November 4, 2008 throughout California. Among the elections taking place were those for the office of President of the United States, all the seats of California's delegation to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all of the odd-numbered seats of the State Senate. Twelve propositions also appeared on the ballot. Numerous local elections also took place throughout the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 California elections</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 California elections</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 California Proposition 39</span> California ballot initiative

Proposition 39 was an initiative state constitutional amendment and statute which appeared on the November 7, 2000, California general election ballot. Proposition 39 passed with 5,431,152 Yes votes, representing 53.4 percent of the total votes cast. Proposition 39 was essentially a milder version of Proposition 26, which would have ended the Proposition 13 supermajority vote requirement altogether, but was defeated with 3,521,327 "Yes" votes, representing 48.7 percent of the total votes cast, in the March 7, 2000, California primary election. The measure was funded by Ann and John Doerr, John T. Walton and Reed Hastings; it was opposed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 California elections</span>

The California state elections, November 2010 were held on November 2, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2012 California elections</span>

The California state elections was held on Election Day, November 6, 2012. On the ballot were eleven propositions, various parties' nominees for the United States presidency, the Class I Senator to the United States Senate, all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 California elections</span>

In California state elections, 2014 was the first year in which the top statewide offices were elected under the nonpartisan blanket primary, pursuant to Proposition 14, which passed with 53% voter approval in June 2010. Under this system, which first went into effect during the 2012 election year, all candidates will appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. In the primary, voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two finishers, regardless of party, then advance to face each other in the general election in November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 California elections</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 California Proposition 19</span> Successful property tax ballot initiative

California Proposition 19 (2020), also referred to as Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 11, is an amendment of the Constitution of California that was narrowly approved by voters in the general election on November 3, 2020, with just over 51% of the vote. The legislation increases the property tax burden on owners of inherited property to provide expanded property tax benefits to homeowners ages 55 years and older, disabled homeowners, and victims of natural disasters, and fund wildfire response. According to the California Legislative Analyst, Proposition 19 is a large net tax increase "of hundreds of millions of dollars per year."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 California Proposition 23</span> 2020 California ballot proposition

Proposition 23, officially the Protect the Lives of Dialysis Patients Act Initiative, is a California ballot proposition that appeared on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020. The proposition would increase regulations in Californian dialysis clinics, requiring them to have on-site physicians during treatment, report data on infections that might have been caused by dialyses, seek permission from the government of California prior to closing a clinic and strengthening anti-discrimination protections for dialysis patients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 California elections</span>

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The following is a list of ballot measures which were on the ballot for the 2022 United States elections. Some were held prior to the federal elections on November 8. Many were initiated by state legislatures, while others were initiated by public petitions.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Historical Voter Registration and Participation" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  2. Dezenski, Lauren (December 19, 2018). "Why California leapfrogged the 2020 primary schedule".
  3. "Washington Post Live Electional College updates". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020.
  4. Siders, David (October 8, 2011). "Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill restricting ballot initiative to November elections". Sacramento Bee . Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  5. "CA Legislature passes facilities bond measure for 2020 ballot". The Daily Californian. September 15, 2019.
  6. "Proposition 13". March 3, 2020 Primary Election Official Voter Information Guide. California Secretary of State.
  7. Official Declaration of the Vote Results on March 3, 2020 in State Ballot Measure, California Secretary of State, p. 173.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures". Secretary of State of California . Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  9. "California Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  10. "California Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hooks, Chris Nichols, Kris. "What We Know About California Proposition Results". www.capradio.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. "California Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  13. "California Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  14. "California Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. "California Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  16. "California Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  17. "California Local Rent Control Initiative (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  18. "California App-Based Drivers Regulations Initiative (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  19. "California Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  20. "California Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative (2020)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  21. "The fate of California's cash bail industry will now be decided on the 2020 ballot". Sacramento Bee. August 17, 2019.

Further reading