Millions of eligible Californians are not registered to vote. What can be done about it?

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

DOES CALIFORNIA NEED TO TUNE UP ITS AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION?

Following a lackluster turnout for last week’s California primary election, advocates say it’s time for legislation to make voter registration more universal, through a process called Secure Automatic Voter Registration.

California already has automatic voter registration: The California Department of Motor Vehicles asks people whether they are eligible to vote when they apply for a license or state ID or look to provide the DMV with an updated address. If they answer yes, the DMV will automatically register them to vote, unless they opt out of it.

SB 299 would make it so that — like Colorado, Oregon and Washington, D.C. — the California DMV would automatically determine a person’s eligibility to vote and, if eligibility is met, would register them, sending them a letter in the mail giving them the chance to opt out. Further, if a person moves and notifies the DMV of their new address, their voter registration would be automatically updated.

“This system would substantially improve the accuracy of the voter rolls,” said Neal Ubriani of the Institute for Responsive Government, an advocacy organization.

According to Ubriani, one in six Californians who are eligible to vote are not registered to vote. That’s millions of potential voters skipping Election Day, disproportionately Black, Latino or other historically marginalized groups, he said.

“It’s bringing people into the process who are historically left out.” Ubriani said.

SB 299 doesn’t just benefit voters, Ubriani said. The bill also would be benefit political campaigns, who spend a great deal of time and money getting people registered to vote — time and money that could be spent on boosting turnout on Election Day, he said.

Itzel Maganda Chavez, civic engagement director for the activist group Alliance San Diego who does voter registration outreach with marginalized communities, said that the current automatic voter registration system is not the easiest option for non-English speakers, with many unwittingly opting out of voter registration.

She said that while speaking with people in those communities, there was a common sense of frustration about not being able to participate in the electoral process.

“We know that response rates and voter turnout could be much higher not only in San Diego but in the state of California,” Chavez said.

SB 299 would not come cheap, though.

An analysis for a previous version of the bill, SB 846, determined that the process would lead to increased costs, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.

The Secretary of State’s Office would require additional staff, money for translations, mailing costs and promulgation of the new regulations.

“The bill would likely also result in additional workload and reporting costs to other entities, including counties and their social services offices, as well by the University of California, California State University, and the Community Colleges,” according to the analysis.

CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL RACES UPDATE

Via Gillian Brassil...

Sacramento-area congressional primary elections are going as expected for the incumbents.

Reps. Doris Matsui, Ami Bera, Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, Mike Thompson, Tom McClintock and Josh Harder all advanced to the general election, the Associated Press projected.

It’s still too early to be certain who will join them on the Nov. 5 ballot in many races. But some match-ups are set.

Primary election results won’t be official for a month. Counties must send results to California’s secretary of state by April 5. The secretary of state will certify the results on April 12.

The top two vote-getters regardless of party advance.

Election results noted here were checked at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday. More candidates might have advanced between now and then. Who has advanced is based on AP projections. The AP also estimates the percent of votes that have been counted.

Kiley, R-Roseville, will face Democrat Jessica Morse, a wildfire resiliency specialist, in California’s 3rd Congressional District. With an estimated 64% of the votes counted, Kiley had 54.7% and Morse had 43.3%. Analysts say Kiley, a freshman congressman, will “likely,” not “safely,” win in this right-leaning district in November.

In California’s 4th Congressional District, Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Republican John Munn, a rancher and farmer, will go on to November. With 60% of the votes counted, Thompson had 62.2% and Munn had 31.6%. Thompson has never had a tough race since he was elected to Congress in 1998; analysts predict he’ll be safe in November.

McClintock, R-Elk Grove, will compete with Democrat Mike Barkley, a lawyer, in California’s 5th Congressional District once again. With 76% of the votes counted, McClintock had 58.3% and Barkley had 32.9%. Analysts say this district will go for McClintock, who defeated Barkley soundly in 2022, in November.

Tom Silva, a veterans program coordinator, will join Matsui, D-Sacramento, in the Nov. 5 general election. With 53% of the votes counted in California’s 7th Congressional District, Matsui had 58.1% and Silva had 31.9%. Matsui has represented the Sacramento area in Congress since 2005; she won a special election to replace her late husband, Bob Matsui, who died not long after being elected to his 14th term. She has never had a close election and won’t this fall, analysts predict.

It seems likely that Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, a Republican with support from national GOP fundraisers, will join Harder, D-Tracy, in California’s 9th Congressional District. With 58% of the votes counted, Harder had 51.6% of the votes. Lincoln had 28.9%. The next closest contender had 12.3%. Analysts say Harder will “likely,” not “safely,” win in this left-leaning district.

Bera, D-Elk Grove, had five primary challengers in California’s 6th Congressional District. Republican Christine Bish, a realtor and financial investigator, was leading to secure the second slot for the Nov. 5 general election. With 49% of votes counted, Bera had 54% and Bish had 19.6%. Analysts say Bera, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, will win in November.

And leading to join LaMalfa, R-Richvale, in the general election for California’s 1st Congressional District is Democrat Rose Penelope Yee, a financial adviser. With 65% of votes counted, LaMalfa had 64.9% and Yee had 24%. Analysts say the district will pick the Republican in November. LaMalfa has not had a close election and has represented the area in Congress since 2013.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Legally binding contracts in legislative negotiations that intentionally hide the truth from the public must be unlawful and unenforceable. Taxpayers deserve more transparency from their government, not less.”

- Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, in a statement announcing a bill to make non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in legislative negotiations unenforceable.

Best of The Bee:

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• Thousands of Aetna members in Sacramento and beyond will no longer be able to access their Dignity Health doctors at discounted in-network rates starting April 1 if the two companies don’t reach a new business arrangement, via Cathie Anderson.