California’s primary is considered an outlier in this year’s primary contests: the state has a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats and party voters. Just as much as a quarter of California is registered as a member of the Democratic Party — by far the most of any state — and a quarter is a member of the Republican Party.
There are also a number of high-profile Republican candidates, some with close ties to Trump, who have campaigned aggressively in the state ahead of the election — including the former two-term governor of the state, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Given that California is overwhelmingly Democratic and deeply polarized on a range of issues, it makes sense that the state’s politics are uniquely nuanced.
The state’s primary ballot questions are dense, which means that many voters didn’t wade through much detail on the issues posed in each question. In all, the state has 16 ballot measures — 11 that have to do with California’s political system and redistricting.
New voter information has been released in recent weeks that now sheds light on how voters are making their decisions — and perhaps reveals some of the state’s shifting demographics.