ABSTRACT
California voters have the opportunity to exercise a great deal of power at the ballot box. Every two years, Californians choose the entire state assembly, half of the state senate, and the state’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, the largest delegation of any state. In non-presidential election years, Californians must choose candidates to fill the state’s executive offices, including the governor and secretary of state. Besides electing candidates for office, the voters are regularly called upon to amend the state’s constitution, to reverse legislative acts, and to decide other weighty issues placed on the ballot through the initiative process. This chapter examines the role of the electorate as players in the policy process. It first examines California’s election cycle and then goes on to explore the role of declining voter turnout. The chapter considers the implications of voter decline in political participation.
