Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

21 hours ago

Oil Prices Rise on Trade War Relief, US Pressure on Russia

22 hours ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

1 day ago

UK Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood in September, Barring Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

1 day ago

Trump’s EPA to Repeal Core of Greenhouse Gas Rules in Major Deregulatory Move

1 day ago

US Approval of Israel’s Gaza Offensive Drops to 32%, Poll Shows

1 day ago

Shooter in New York Skyscraper Left Note Blaming NFL for Brain Injury, Mayor Says

1 day ago

Trump Eyes Aug 1 Trade Deals as EU, China Talks Continue, US Commerce Chief Says

1 day ago

Trump Says Many Are Starving in Gaza, Vows to Set up Food Centers

2 days ago
California Spending Big Money to Get Out the Recall Vote
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
September 1, 2021

Share

California election officials are spending $16 million in a four-week ad blitz to educate people about voting in the recall that could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom, a campaign that’s officially nonpartisan but could benefit the first-term Democrat as he pushes for high turnout.

Through billboards, radio and digital ads, television spots and more, the campaign is designed to make sure voters know about the recall and understand how to cast a ballot. Every registered voter received a ballot in the mail, but many people might be confused or unaware of the race because it’s happening in late summer in an off-election year.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber has said her goal is to increase voter participation across all political affiliations.

“My goal is 100% voting, and why? Because I think everyone has a voice that needs to be heard,” Weber said on a recent call with reporters.

Does Get Out the Vote Effort Benefit Dems?

California has almost twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans. That makes it hard to untangle the public policy goal of urging people to exercise their right to vote from the reality that Democrats are likely to benefit, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School with a focus on government ethics.

“It’s probably just difficult to structure any big get-out-the-vote effort in California without it looking like you are also supporting Democrats,” she said.

Weber, who was joined on the call by Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Newsom appointee, said promoting voter turnout was not in service of a partisan aim.

“I would always ask the question: What is the alternative to it? To suppress the voting because you think there may be more Democrats registered in California than others?” she said.

$35 Million in State Funding for Effort

California lawmakers approved $35 million for the secretary of state to spend on voter education in a party-line vote in June. It was part of a bill that allowed for an earlier recall, which Democrats hoped would help Newsom defeat it.

Weber’s office set aside half for the statewide education campaign and chose The Sax Agency of Los Angeles from among four applicants. The agency has won other government contracts, including on census efforts and a public awareness campaign about masking during the coronavirus.

Sax worked on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2020 on a project aimed at motivating Black voters, according to its bid. All other listed work was nonpartisan.

The California Republican Party claimed the agency is pro-Democrat. It pointed to Sax’s work with the DCCC and an Instagram post after the 2020 presidential election featuring President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with the caption, “No words, just a big sigh of relief.”

“It is right to take action to encourage all voters to cast a ballot but hiring a Democrat firm at taxpayer expense only reinforces that Gavin Newsom’s partisan priorities come first,” Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement.

Campaign Aims for Wide Appeal

Stacey Legay, the account manager for Sax, said the campaign will target voters across demographics, locations and political ideologies. As an example of the campaign’s cross-party appeal, she said it put up billboards in a heavily Vietnamese area of Orange County, noting those voters tend to lean Republican.

“Frankly, we don’t care what happens, other than that we want everyone to come out and vote,” she said.

A 30-second ad shared by the campaign explains that every registered California voter will get a ballot and details how people can track theirs through the secretary of state website. The campaign plans to target specific populations, including Black, Asian and Latino voters, veterans and members of the military and formerly incarcerated people, as well as voters across age groups and all 58 counties.

It’s part of an effort called Vote Safe California, adopted during the pandemic when the state started sending mail-in ballots to all California voters. Previously only some counties mailed everyone a ballot.

2020 Voter Outreach Effort Criticized

A similar campaign ahead of the 2020 presidential election was mired in controversy after the state partnered with SKDK, a Washington-based firm whose managing partner, Anita Dunn, was a senior adviser to then-candidate Joe Biden, a Democrat. That prompted outcry from Republicans and even some Democrats.

Though the Legislature approved the money in June, the secretary of state did not award the contract until mid-August, just as recall ballots were hitting mailboxes. That’s left the group with a short window of time to get out their messaging ahead of Election Day on Sept. 14.

“Reminding people to go out and vote in September is like asking someone to have a new behavior,” Legay said. “We’re trying to drive a behavior change campaign in four weeks. I don’t think there’s a precedent of that.”

Ballots have two questions: Should Newsom be recalled, and if so, who should replace him? Voters have 46 possible replacements to choose from. If a majority of voters want Newsom gone, the replacement with the most votes will become the governor.

Newsom’s campaign and the state Democratic Party are urging voters to vote no on the recall and ignore the second question. The idea is to diminish interest in an alternative to Newsom but that’s drawn criticism even within the Democratic Party from those who say it disenfranchises voters.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Eight at DUI Checkpoint

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting August 1

DON'T MISS

Republican US Senator Grassley Clashes With Trump Over Nominations

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Navpreet Singh

DON'T MISS

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

DON'T MISS

White House Set to Unveil Closely Watched Crypto Policy Report

DON'T MISS

Warner or Conklin? Fresno State QB Battle Builds Ahead of Kansas Opener

DON'T MISS

Protein Bar Arms Race Is Waged on Store Shelves and Social Media

DON'T MISS

Israeli Minister Hints at Annexing Parts of Gaza

UP NEXT

As Trump Cuts Education, Candidates Line Up for California’s Top Schools Job

UP NEXT

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

UP NEXT

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

UP NEXT

California Governor Candidate Stirs Outrage With Auschwitz ‘Unemployment Plan’ Post

UP NEXT

California May Soon Ban Selling New Glocks Like Kamala Harris Owns

UP NEXT

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

UP NEXT

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

UP NEXT

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

UP NEXT

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Republican US Senator Grassley Clashes With Trump Over Nominations

33 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Navpreet Singh

2 hours ago

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

2 hours ago

White House Set to Unveil Closely Watched Crypto Policy Report

2 hours ago

Warner or Conklin? Fresno State QB Battle Builds Ahead of Kansas Opener

2 hours ago

Protein Bar Arms Race Is Waged on Store Shelves and Social Media

3 hours ago

Israeli Minister Hints at Annexing Parts of Gaza

3 hours ago

Russia Has Developed Immunity to Sanctions, Kremlin Says After Trump Tightens Ceasefire Deadline

3 hours ago

Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady Despite Trump’s Push for Big Cuts

3 hours ago

California Under Tsunami Advisory After Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake

17 hours ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s administration, seeking to ease an uproar plaguing his presidency, urged two judges to release testimony to ...

8 minutes ago

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell listens to her sentencing from Judge Alison Nathan in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
8 minutes ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

17 minutes ago

Clovis Police Arrest Eight at DUI Checkpoint

President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
30 minutes ago

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting August 1

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
33 minutes ago

Republican US Senator Grassley Clashes With Trump Over Nominations

Navpreet Singh is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for July 30, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Navpreet Singh

President Donald Trump holds the key to the FIFA Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration created on August 10, 2022. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

White House Set to Unveil Closely Watched Crypto Policy Report

2 hours ago

Warner or Conklin? Fresno State QB Battle Builds Ahead of Kansas Opener

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend