Still haven’t cast your ballot? Here are some last-minute reminders:

• Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov. 5. Those unsure if their ballot will make it in the mail in time can also bring their ballots to any polling location in the state or a ballot drop box in their counties by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Click here to find your polling location.
• The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election was Oct. 21, but residents can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot. Click here to learn more.

Local Races

Riverside County has a plethora of contests. Depending on where you live, your ballot may be chock full of local races to decide. Here’s a look at everything being voted on in Riverside County (scroll to see all the races):

—U.S. Senate

A consequential contest to watch is the race for the U.S. Senate seat long-held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters are casting their ballot twice in this race, choosing a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which begins in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are both vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to a recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

—U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13 covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte — who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974 — will go up against Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district is considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency and a formidable challenger for Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40, covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse both politically and by ethnicity, since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

—State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California if there were not a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

There are 10 statewide propositions being voted on, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. There are also two amendments to the state constitution, one which would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

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In the race to register voters before what folks are apocalyptically calling THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF ALL TIME, which we think happens every four years, we are disappointed to report that California is trailing the numbers it hit back in 2020 (the last most important election of all time).

Eighty-five percent of the Golden State’s eligible voters were registered by September 2020.

On October 10th, only 83% are.

Granted, there are more actual voters registered now than back then (22.3 million vs. 21.2 million), but there are also nearly 2 million more eligible voters.

Two million eligible, unregistered voters! That’s more than the entire population of a dozen states! You have no right to complain if you do not vote. It’s one of the few civic duties asked of us, and it’s a lot easier than jury duty or getting drafted.

Los Angeles County is bucking the slowpoke trend and putting the rest of SoCal to shame: There, 85.7% of eligible voters are already registered (5.7 million).

Orange County hit the state average, with 83% of eligible folks registered (1.8 million people).

Riverside is trailing a bit, with 82% of eligible folks registered (1.3 million); as is San Bernardino, with just 81% registered (1.2 million).

You can’t vote, people, vote, if you don’t register, people, register!

There’s still time. In California, registrations must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than 15 days before Election Day, Nov. 5. That makes the deadline for registering Oct. 21, according to the Secretary of State.

Some props are due, though, to the SoCal counties, which have seen the largest increases in registration statewide since September 2020.

Riverside is tops, registering an additional 179,336 voters.

Orange is next, with an additional 140,571; then San Bernardino, with 122,454; San Diego, with 68,960; and Los Angeles, with 64,997.

What party are these registered voters affiliated with, you’re wondering? Statewide, 46% are Democrats; 25% are Republican; and 23% have no party preference.

It’s different, however, in the counties:

In progressive Los Angeles County, 52.4% are Democrats, 18% are Republicans, and 23% have no party preference.

Orange County still has strong conservative leanings, despite its new more progressive majority that backed Democrats in the last two presidential elections: 37% are Democrats, 34% are Republicans, and 23% have no party preference.

The Inland Empire counties, with a reputation for being more conservative than O.C., actually have more registered Democrats than O.C. In Riverside County, 39.6% are Democrats, 32% are Republicans and 20% have no party preference; while in San Bernardino, 40% are Democrats, 30% are Republicans and 21% have no party preference.

This is the most important election EVER!  And there are almost three weeks to register. Details on how to do that are at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration. Get on it, people! This is THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF ALL TIME!

At least until next time.

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WASHINGTON — On National Voter Registration Day, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the office of the Michigan Secretary of State announced the signing of an interagency agreement to designate the Saginaw VA Medical Center, the Detroit VA Medical Center, and the Detroit Regional Office as voter registration sites. This agreement will empower VA to provide voter registration information and assistance to Veterans and eligible dependents at these three facilities.

“Supporting our nation’s Veterans includes making sure they can fully participate in our democratic process by voting,” said Acting Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Guy Kiyokawa. “Veterans fought for the rights and freedoms that define us all as Americans, and it’s our job to make sure they can enjoy those rights and freedoms here at home.”

“Those who served our nation in uniform must be able to participate in our democracy,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Three Michigan VA locations will become sites for veterans and their families to register to vote, ensuring their voices are heard in our elections. In Michigan, we have significantly expanded civil rights this year by implementing ballot Proposal 2, which made it easier to vote in a secure way across the state. Our partnership with the VA will encourage full participation in our democracy by our military families, who sacrifice so much for our fundamental freedoms.”

“I’m proud today to announce this historic partnership between the state of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure we expand opportunities for all veterans and their families to play an active role in our democracy,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “This partnership will break down many barriers that keep veterans from participating in our democratic process and will provide the information and tools they need to fully exercise their voting rights in every election.”

Through this partnership, VA is working to make it easier for Michigan Veterans to exercise their fundamental right to vote, as part of implementing Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting.” This joint effort will “expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process to make voting more accessible to all Americans.”

The official designation of VA as a voter registration agency will come through executive action by Governor Whitmer in the near future. To learn more about VA’s efforts to provide voter registration assistance to Veterans, go to How Veterans Can Register to Vote. To learn more about how to register and vote in Michigan, go to Michigan Voter Information Center (state.mi.us)

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Through this partnership, VA aims to make it easier for Veterans to exercise their fundamental right to vote.

“Keeping our nation’s sacred obligation to Veterans includes making sure they can fully participate in our democratic process by voting,” said Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy. “Veterans have sacrificed greatly to protect the freedoms that define us all as Americans, and it is our solemn duty to make sure they are able to enjoy those freedoms here at home.”

VA has been working closely with election authorities in these three states to determine how the department can fulfill voter registration requirements set forth by state law and consistent with the spirit and mandates of the National Voter Registration Act to ensure Veterans and eligible dependents and caregivers receive accurate and timely information regarding voter registration.

These partnerships are executed as part of the Executive Order 14019, Promoting Access to Voting, a whole of government effort to make voting more accessible to all Americans. 

To learn more about VA’s efforts to provide voter registration assistance to Veterans, go to How Veterans Can Register to Vote.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

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In a column for Town Hall, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel explained the roll-out of an expanded Vote.gop platform that is designed to “to help us expand voter access and turn out as many voters as possible.”

“As the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party in 2016, I know a thing or two about close elections and every vote making a difference,” she writes.

“Four years ago, it was fewer than 11,000 votes that separated President Trump from Hillary Clinton in Michigan. Without a doubt the campaign infrastructure we assembled and the resources we deployed were indispensable in helping this president become the first Republican to carry Michigan in nearly 30 years,” McDaniel added.

“A strong get-out-the-vote operation was important then, and it has never been more than it is right now,” she said.

No question about it, especially since Democrats and the DNC have out-fundraised the RNC and the campaign of President Donald Trump up and down the board after the GOP gained a substantial advantage over Joe Biden and Democrats earlier this year. Now, the Marxist Party has more money for congressional and Senate races than the GOP, and Biden’s campaign has at least a $141 million cash advantage over Trump right now.

“With close races shaping-up around the country and early voting already underway in some states, we at the Republican National Committee are ramping up our efforts to make every voter count by ensuring every American has the information and resources they need to vote,” McDaniel notes. 

So — what is this new platform? She explains:

Simply stated, Vote.gop is an online portal designed to help voters access their information and make a plan to vote. There Americans can register to vote, check on their voter status, update their address, find their polling location, and take other voting actions.

As of today, that also means a version of the website entirely in Spanish.

Given the changes in how many Americans will cast their ballots this time around, our website also takes into account the increased emphasis on voting absentee in 2020. Vote.gop allows voters to have absentee ballot materials sent directly to them through the mail, with a postage-paid return envelope included to submit the ballot to the local elections office.

McDaniel noted that one survey after another has the president surging among Hispanic voters – a key bloc, along with black voters (more of whom also appear to be supporting Trump over Biden and Republicans over Democrats).

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“Our Trump Victory volunteer team has now registered over 140,000 new voters and counting this cycle. By comparison we registered 46,000 voters in all of 2016, meaning we have more than tripled our voter registrations this cycle compared to last,” McDaniel notes.

“Perhaps most importantly, we are outpacing Democrats when it comes to registering new voters in the battleground states that will decide this election, including in Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina,” she added.

“Voters are highly motivated to turn out and cast their ballot for President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot. This Voter Registration Day, go to Vote.gop to ensure you are registered and ready to vote.”

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