Feelings had been blended for voters within the Golden State concerning the outcomes of the presidential race and a few state poll measures.
The 2024 election elicited blended responses from California voters, with some individuals elated on the victory of President-elect Donald Trump and the passage of a measure to extend penalties for some crimes, whereas others mentioned the outcomes had been lower than thrilling.
With the passage of Proposition 36—in the end accredited by a large margin of voters to strengthen penalties for repeat offenders of some drug and theft crimes—and the defeat of proposals that might have raised taxes, one voter mentioned the citizens’s priorities are clear.
“We despatched a message to Sacramento that we don’t need a excessive crime, excessive tax state,” longtime Central Valley resident Will Smith informed The Epoch Occasions after ballot outcomes began coming in late on Nov. 5. “Persons are fed up with the way in which the state’s been run.”
He mentioned the state’s Democrat supermajority might be in jeopardy in future years if the state Legislature doesn’t heed the need of voters.
“It’s one step and one seat at a time, however we are able to get again to a balanced authorities,” Smith mentioned.
A second-time voter expressed disappointment with the result—lamenting the lack of Vice President Kamala Harris to Trump—and mentioned the nation and the state might be impacted by voters’ selections.
“This election was about ladies’s rights and freedom,” school scholar Monica Gomez mentioned on Nov. 6. “It’s unhappy to assume that tens of millions of individuals voted towards these concepts.”
Combined feelings had been additionally evident in a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom the place he highlighted Harris’s rules and cautioned the incoming president that California’s authorized system stands able to deal with any perceived obstacles from the federal authorities.
He expressed an obligation to guard democratic beliefs and preserve an impartial relationship between state and federal governments.
“Federalism is the cornerstone of our democracy,” Newsom mentioned. “It’s america of America.”
On the Polls
On the polls, opinions diverse throughout the board, with widespread themes of affordability and high quality of life talked about by these casting their ballots.
One voter who moved to California from New York this yr —Brandon Mach, 36, of Santa Rosa—mentioned the native measures and state propositions—together with these associated to reasonably priced housing—had been a few of the most essential poll gadgets.
He mentioned the general public security measure, Prop. 36 was a step too far.
“I believe individuals charged with crimes, the hammer is put down on them too laborious, they usually’re not simply horrible individuals who ought to be thrown away,” Mach mentioned.
His vote for Harris was a direct rejection of her opponent, he mentioned.
Brandon Mach, 36, of Santa Rosa, Calif., mentioned native measures, state propositions, and the presidential race had been a very powerful gadgets on the poll. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Occasions
“To be blunt, I’d moderately see Trump simply go away,” Mach mentioned.
Some voters mentioned they wished extra choices—and people with totally different {qualifications}—had been obtainable on the presidential poll.
“You’ll assume that in america, we’d have extra competent candidates,” Juanita Davis, founding father of a help providers nonprofit in Merced, informed The Epoch Occasions whereas ready in line to vote. “If we’re imagined to be the financial superpower, you’ll assume we’d have higher politicians that may be far more mature dealing with the nation.”
One other first-time voter in California, having moved from Ohio about six months in the past, she encountered challenges after utilizing the county registrar’s web site to discover a polling location and was directed to the Merced Mall.
After driving to the mall, a retail worker informed her the county stopped utilizing the situation for voting years earlier than.
“I’ve been to a few places now attempting to vote,” Davis mentioned.
As soon as discovering the American Legion location, she encountered a line with greater than 100 people that stretched by the constructing, out into the courtyard, and across the sidewalk.
Based on a number of voters who made it by the method, the wait reached as excessive as two hours for individuals who needed to fill out a poll in particular person.
Some California voters waited for as much as two hours to solid their poll at a Merced polling location within the state’s Central Valley. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Occasions
A ballot employee informed The Epoch Occasions that a part of the delay was on account of voting machines going out and in of service on account of technical difficulties.
Those that arrived with the poll acquired within the mail might drop off the finished type with out ready in line.
Additionally caught within the prolonged queue, Eric Examine, 46, an agricultural tools operator in Merced, informed The Epoch Occasions that the economic system was the difficulty that drove him to vote for Trump this yr after skipping the 2020 election.
“The inflation is unbelievable,” he mentioned. “The worth of every part has gone up.”
California voter Eric Examine mentioned the economic system and border safety had been a very powerful points within the 2024 election. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Occasions
Chopping governmental spending and recalibrating priorities would profit the nation, he advised.
“There’s an excessive amount of giving cash away at no cost as an alternative of specializing in issues that matter,” Examine mentioned.
He additionally mentioned Trump shall be higher outfitted to handle the border and cope with adversarial governments—just like the Chinese language Communist Get together.
“We’d like protection,” Examine mentioned. “We’d like safety.”