ELECTION DAY
JIM:
AND NEW VOTER TRENDS SUGGEST
CALIFORNIA VOTERS ON BOTH
SIDES OF
THE AISLE ARE MOVING FARTHER
AWAY FROM THE CENTER.
17'S EYTAN WALLACE DOVE INTO THE
NUMBERS AND
JOINS US WITH THE FINDINGS.
EYTAN?
EYTAN WALLACE: THE FINDINGS FROM
THE CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC POLICY INSITITUE SHOW
MORE PEOPLE
ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE FOR THE
UPCOMING
ELECTION THAN
FOR ANY OTHER PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION IN THE LAST 20 YEARS.
WITH THAT, COMES A GROWING
PARTISAN DIVIDE.
THERE ARE 25,060,169
ELIGIBLE VOTERS IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA.
OF THEM 83.5% ARE REGISTERED TO
VOTE THIS NOVEMBER -- THE MOST
IN ANY
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SINCE
2000.
THE REGISTRATION
FIGURES SHOW 46.3% ARE DEMOCRATS
-- UP FROM 45.1%
IN 2016,
24% ARE REPUBLICAN,
DOWN FROM 27.1% DURING THE LAST
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,
AND 24% IDENTIFY AS NO
PARTY PREFERENCE THAT'S UP FROM
23.3% IN 2016.
STILL, KERN COUNTY IS AN ISLAND
OF RED IN A BLUE STATE.
AS IT STANDS NOW, REGISTRATION
FIGURES SHOW
MORE THAN 150,000 VOTERS IN THE
GOLDEN EMPIRE ARE
REGISTERED WITH THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY -- A PARTY
THAT OUTNUMBERS KERN REGISTERED
DEMOCRATS BY 7,630.
THAT MARGIN IS AN INCREASE
SINCE DECEMBER,
WHEN THE MARGIN STOOD AT ABOUT
48- HUNDRED. A STATEWIDE SURVEY
FROM
THE PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUE OF
CALIFORNIA INDICATES
VOTERS IN BOTH PARTIES ARE
MOVING AWAY FROM THE
CENTER.
20 YEARS AGO, 47% OF
DEMOCRATS IDENTIFIED AS LIBERAL.
FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, THAT
NUMBER INCREASED BY 10%.
SIMILARLY, IN 2000, 59% OF
REPUBLICANS IDENTIFIED AS
CONSERVATIVE.
TWO DECADES LATER, THAT
NUMBER STANDS AT 73%. 17 NEWS
DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN
ANALYSTS WEIGHED IN ON THESE
TRENDS.
Eytan: With more people moving
away from the center, is that
bad
for Democracy?
17 NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST
Cathy Abernathy: I don't think
it's a negative thing that each
party
philosophy is more clear to
those who
register with that party.The
terms
liberal and conservative are
getting more visible to the
public. A
liberal believes in more
government,conser vative
less government, more freedoms.
We hope to compromise on
ideology.
17 NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST
NEEL SANNAPPA:
"I am more on the ideology of
the
AOC wing. I think it is a good
thing. I
know there are some Democrats
who think we are going too far
left
and that it is going to bring in
middle
America. But the populist side,
left
wing side believes
that, no, the two party system
and
the fact we keep to the middle
is why
we are not able to excite our
base."
EYTAN WALLACE: TODAY MARKS 61
DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY
NOVEMBER 3RD.
EYTAN WALLACE, 17 NEWS
JIM
