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| Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1852 | 35,972 | 46.83% | 40,721 | 53.02% | 117 | 0.15% |
| 1856 | 20,704 | 18.78% | 53,342 | 48.38% | 36,209 | 32.84% |
| 1860 | 38,733 | 32.32% | 37,999 | 31.71% | 43,095 | 35.96% |
| 1864 | 62,053 | 58.60% | 43,837 | 41.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1868 | 54,588 | 50.24% | 54,068 | 49.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 54,007 | 56.38% | 40,717 | 42.51% | 1,061 | 1.11% |
| 1876 | 79,258 | 50.88% | 76,460 | 49.08% | 66 | 0.04% |
| 1880 | 80,282 | 48.89% | 80,426 | 48.98% | 3,510 | 2.14% |
| 1884 | 102,369 | 51.97% | 89,288 | 45.33% | 5,331 | 2.71% |
| 1888 | 124,816 | 49.66% | 117,729 | 46.84% | 8,794 | 3.50% |
| 1892 | 118,027 | 43.78% | 118,174 | 43.83% | 33,408 | 12.39% |
| 1896 | 146,688 | 49.16% | 144,766 | 48.51% | 6,965 | 2.33% |
| 1900 | 164,755 | 54.37% | 124,985 | 41.25% | 13,264 | 4.38% |
| 1904 | 205,226 | 61.84% | 89,404 | 26.94% | 37,248 | 11.22% |
| 1908 | 214,398 | 55.46% | 127,492 | 32.98% | 44,707 | 11.56% |
| 1912 | 3,914 | 0.58% | 283,436 | 41.81% | 390,594 | 57.61% |
| 1916 | 462,516 | 46.27% | 466,289 | 46.65% | 70,798 | 7.08% |
| 1920 | 624,992 | 66.20% | 229,191 | 24.28% | 89,867 | 9.52% |
| 1924 | 733,250 | 57.20% | 105,514 | 8.23% | 443,136 | 34.57% |
| 1928 | 1,162,323 | 64.69% | 614,365 | 34.19% | 19,968 | 1.11% |
| 1932 | 847,902 | 37.39% | 1,324,157 | 58.39% | 95,907 | 4.23% |
| 1936 | 836,431 | 31.70% | 1,766,836 | 66.95% | 35,615 | 1.35% |
| 1940 | 1,351,419 | 41.34% | 1,877,618 | 57.44% | 39,754 | 1.22% |
| 1944 | 1,512,965 | 42.97% | 1,988,564 | 56.48% | 19,346 | 0.55% |
| 1948 | 1,895,269 | 47.13% | 1,913,134 | 47.57% | 213,135 | 5.30% |
| 1952 | 2,897,310 | 56.35% | 2,197,548 | 42.74% | 46,991 | 0.91% |
| 1956 | 3,027,668 | 55.39% | 2,420,135 | 44.27% | 18,552 | 0.34% |
| 1960 | 3,259,722 | 50.10% | 3,224,099 | 49.55% | 22,757 | 0.35% |
| 1964 | 2,879,108 | 40.79% | 4,171,877 | 59.11% | 6,601 | 0.09% |
| 1968 | 3,467,664 | 47.82% | 3,244,318 | 44.74% | 539,605 | 7.44% |
| 1972 | 4,602,096 | 55.00% | 3,475,847 | 41.54% | 289,919 | 3.46% |
| 1976 | 3,882,244 | 49.35% | 3,742,284 | 47.57% | 242,589 | 3.08% |
| 1980 | 4,524,858 | 52.69% | 3,083,661 | 35.91% | 978,544 | 11.40% |
| 1984 | 5,467,009 | 57.51% | 3,922,519 | 41.27% | 115,895 | 1.22% |
| 1988 | 5,054,917 | 51.13% | 4,702,233 | 47.56% | 129,914 | 1.31% |
| 1992 | 3,630,574 | 32.61% | 5,121,325 | 46.01% | 2,379,822 | 21.38% |
| 1996 | 3,828,380 | 38.21% | 5,119,835 | 51.10% | 1,071,269 | 10.69% |
| 2000 | 4,567,429 | 41.65% | 5,861,203 | 53.45% | 537,224 | 4.90% |
| 2004 | 5,509,826 | 44.36% | 6,745,485 | 54.30% | 166,548 | 1.34% |
| 2008 | 5,011,781 | 36.90% | 8,274,473 | 60.92% | 296,829 | 2.19% |
| 2012 | 4,839,958 | 37.07% | 7,854,285 | 60.16% | 361,572 | 2.77% |
| 2016 | 4,483,814 | 31.48% | 8,753,792 | 61.46% | 1,005,843 | 7.06% |
| 2020 | 6,006,518 | 34.26% | 11,110,639 | 63.37% | 414,688 | 2.37% |
| 2024 | 6,081,697 | 38.28% | 9,276,179 | 58.38% | 531,308 | 3.34% |
Elections in California are held to fill various local, state and federal seats. InCalifornia, regular elections are held every even year (such as 2006 and 2008); 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, statewideinitiatives,legislative referrals andreferendums may be on the ballot.
In a 2022 study, California was ranked as the 6th easiest state for citizens to vote in.[2]
As with every other state in theUnited States, California participates in federal elections including electing representatives to theHouse of Representatives, and senators to theSenate. Additionally, the state casts 54 votes in theElectoral College duringpresidential elections.
Every four years, the United States holds a nationalindirect election forpresident andvice president of the United States. In such elections, voters cast their votes for a slate of representatives (electors) who have pledged to cast their votes for a particular presidential and vice presidential candidate (aticket) in theElectoral College. During the election, the voters of the state select the slate of electors on the ballot by voting for the ticket that they are pledged to. The slate of electors pledged to the ticket with the most votes statewide gets to vote in the Electoral College. Although, the electors are not obligated to vote for the candidates they are pledged to, they usually do. The number of electors the state is allocated is equal to the number of representatives inCongress that the state has (the members in theHouse of Representatives, plus the twosenators).
California, like all other states in the United States, is represented in the United States Senate by twosenators. In addition to representatives in theHouse of Representatives, California's senators represent the state's constituents in Congress.Alex Padilla andAdam Schiff currently serve as the state's senators. Each senator is elected to serve a six-year term with Padilla having last been elected in 2022 and Schiff in 2024. After Kamala Harris was elected asVice President in 2020, Padilla was appointed to serve the remainder of her term. Each U.S. senator is elected in a statewide election following earlier open primary elections typically held in the first week of June. There is no limit to the number of terms that a senator may serve so long as they continue to be elected to the position via statewide vote.
Similarly, California is also represented in the US Congress by fifty-twomembers of Congress representing the fifty-two congressional districts in the state.[3] As in all other states, these congressional districts arereapportioned every ten years following the release of a new census. Due to its status as the most populous state in the union,[4] California has the largest number of representatives of any single state in Congress. These representatives are elected for two-year terms as per the rules of the House of Representatives and currently feature a number of prominent members of the body such as formerSpeaker of the HouseKevin McCarthy.
California has agubernatorial election every four years, and in2003 and2021, gubernatorial recall elections were held. Primary elections were held in March or June until 2008, when they were held in February.General elections, which cover statewide issues, continue to be held in November. On a county-by-county basis, elections also cover electing municipal leaders. In addition, aspecial election can occur at any time.
Due to a combination of the state's large population and a legislature that has not been expanded since the ratification of the1879 Constitution,[5] the State Senate has the largest population per state senator ratio of any state legislative house. Members of the State Senate serve four-year terms. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election.
Thelower house of theCalifornia State Legislature is the "California State Assembly". Every two years, all 80 seats in the Assembly are subject to election. Members elected to the Assembly prior to 2012 are restricted byterm limits to three two-year terms (six years), while those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-yearState Senate or two-year State Assembly terms.[6]
In addition, many if not most of California'scounty,city,school district,community college district,health care district,municipal utility district,transit district and other special district officers are elected.Per the California Secretary of State website, "political parties are not entitled to nominate candidates for nonpartisan offices at the primary election, and a candidate at the primary election is not the official nominee of any party for the specific office at the general election. [However, parties may endorse candidates.] A candidate for nomination to a nonpartisan office may not designate his or her party preference, or lack of party preference, on the ballot."
Effective January 1, 2018, all of California's cities, K-12 school districts, community college districts and special districts will have to move their election dates to a statewide election (primary or general) held during an even-numbered year due to the passage of Senate Bill 415 (California Voter Participation Rights Act), which was approved by the California Senate and Assembly and signed by the Governor in 2015. The 2018 elections will be held on June 5 (primary) and November 6 (general). Starting in 2020, the presidential primary will move to March which also include the U.S. House of Representatives, California State Senate and Assembly and County Boards of Supervisors. U.S. Senate primary in California will take place in March 2022. Los Angeles City Council and School Board will have its primary election in March and its runoff election in November beginning in 2020, due to the passage of Charter Amendments 1 and 2 during the 2015 elections.
Voting rights in California | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Demographics | |
| Poll taxes | Abolished 1914 |
| Literacy tests abolished | N/A |
| Minimum voting age | 18 |
| Preregistration age | 16 |
| Felon voting status | Allowed to vote upon release |
| Voter registration | |
| Voter registration required | Yes |
| Online voter registration | Yes |
| Automatic voter registration | Yes |
| Same-day registration | Yes |
| Partisan affiliation | Yes |
| Voting process | |
| Free elections requirement | Yes |
| Polling place identification requirements | Not required |
| In-person early-voting status | 29 days prior up to the day before |
| Out-of-precinct voting status | N/A |
| Postal ballot status | No-excuse required |
| Permanent list postal ballot status | any voter |
| Ballot collection status | any trusted person |
| Straight-ticket device status | No |
| Election method | Top-two voting vianonpartisan blanket primary |
| Means of casting in-person ballots | All-mail voting; hand-marked paper ballots and ballot-marking devices on Election Day |
| Voter powers | |
| Redistricting system | Independent non-partisan redistricting commission |
| Prison-based redistricting | No |
| Ballot question rights | Initiative and referendum for both statute and constitutional amendment |
| Recall powers | For all offices |
| Federal representation level | State-level |
Pursuant toProposition 14 (2010), California uses anonpartisan blanket primary for "voter-nominated" offices, which include:[7]
In this system voters may vote for any candidate in the primary and the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election. Elections for president, vice president, political party state central committees, and county central committees are "party-nominated".[7]
Candidates may qualify in one of two ways: by payment of a fee, or by the collection of registered voters' signatures on an in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition.[8] Candidates must also file a "candidate intention statement" with the Secretary of State, as well as nomination forms with their home county.[8]
Aballot proposition is a proposed law that is submitted to the electorate for approval in a direct vote (or plebiscite). It may take the form of aconstitutional amendment or an ordinarystatute. A ballot proposition may be proposed by theState Legislature or by a petition signed by members of the public under theinitiative system. In California a vote on a measure referred to voters by the legislature is a mandatory referendum; a vote to veto a law that has already been adopted by the legislature is an optional referendum or "people's veto"; the process of proposing laws by petition is the initiative.
There are six qualifiedpolitical parties:[9]
Political bodies attempting to qualify as a political party are:[10]
Only the Democratic Party and Republican Party currently have representation in the State Legislature. However,Audie Bock, a member of the Green Party, was elected in 1999 during the1998–99 California special elections.
Local elections in California at the county and city level are officially non-partisan and political party affiliations are not included on local election ballots.
{{cite web}}:|last2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020
Sacramento (capital) | |
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