I voted yesterday.
Not that it changes how many Electoral College votes we get, but 88% of eligible Californians are registered to vote, the largest share heading into a general election in 80 years. That’s more than 22 million people, nearly half of whom have already voted (as Alex Padilla, the CA Secretary of State, pointed out, we have more registered voters than there are people in Florida).
While a significant part of that is no doubt the urgency of the moment, driving increased voter turnout across the country, part is also the many efforts made at both state and county level to maximize enfranchisement and accessibility (universal mail in ballots, automatic voter registration, voter literacy projects, a large number of ballot drops and early voting site, and of course a huge number of polling places and ballot drops, along with pandemic-informed multi-day poll opening). And because we permit same day voter registration at the polls, there may be an even larger share voting than anticipated.
Hell yeah.
On my ballot this year, I had the privilege of voting to increase eligibility by extending enfranchisement to parolees (prop 17, looks promising so far) and to young people (prop 18, looking less certain).
I’m really proud of my state, but by the same token, we really need to keep fighting tooth and nail for the same reforms in other states*. Everyone deserves this level of access and enfranchisement, as a minimum, and we got here not by virtue but by both luck and hard work.
My love to everyone who’s struggling to have their voice heard, and to everyone who wishes they could vote, and can’t.
*always assuming we manage to avoid the collapse of the Republic.
larboardly 