A lack of trusted information might keep Californians from the polls in June
Registered voters who say they might not make it to the polls this June mostly point to a lack of information about candidates and a feeling that special interests are calling the shots anyway.
That’s according to a new survey from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies. Of the 5,962 people who responded to the April poll, about a third weren’t sure they would vote in the primary election. The poll was paid for by the nonpartisan Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, a private philanthropy that aims to increase civic engagement.
Of that group, 38% said they were “not all that well-informed about the issues and candidates.” That number jumped to 47% when isolated to voters ages 29 and younger.
Close behind a feeling of being uninformed was a feeling that “special interests and big money are controlling things.” Thirty-five percent of unsure voters ticked that box, with 33% of young voters doing so.
Eric Schickler, IGS co-director, said when it comes to learning about the candidates, most of what voters encounter in their daily lives is advertisements and national news.
“It’s likely the case that if voters were searching actively, they could read the local newspaper and get valid information, right? But they’re kind of inundated with all of this other stuff,” he said. “It creates this feeling of not having good, reliable information.”
Schickler also said IGS doesn’t have a lot of comparable historical data about voters’ concern about money in politics. But the issue seems to have risen in recent years, and is one of the few places where Democrats, Republicans and independents are all in agreement.
People who answered that they weren’t sure they’d be voting were also asked if anything would make them more likely to vote — 41% said access to an unbiased and trusted source of election news would make them more likely to get to the polls. Almost half of people under 30 agreed with the statement. The next most common things that would bring people out are if they felt the candidates or ballot measures would advance their interests, or if they felt the options were different enough.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, more than 8 in 10 Californians are registered to vote. That number is up significantly from a decade ago, thanks to automatic voter registration and a policy whereby voters addresses are updated more easily.
The PPIC notes that may make people need more outreach, since they have less experience navigating the electoral process.
