SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — At high schools across Sacramento County in January, students voted their favorite Marvel characters into elected office.
Marge Patzer, chair of voting services for the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County, uses these mock elections as a method to teach students about the electoral process. It also serves as an opportunity for eligible students to register to vote.
That includes 18-year-olds, as well as younger students who can register before they turn voting age. “They’re really happy to pre-register,” Patzer said in a phone interview this month.
Education is a key aspect of Patzer’s work. In the weeks leading up to the March 5 primary election, she’s fielded plenty of questions from voters hoping to better understand the issues, the candidates and the voting process itself.
When asked about California’s U.S. Senate race, Patzer points to televised forums and the Secretary of State’s Office as good sources of information. There are also voter information guides, mailed directly to voters, where people can read statements from the candidates themselves.
Among the more unusual contests on California primary ballots this year are the two races for that U.S. Senate seat. It’s the seat once occupied by Dianne Feinstein, who died in office last year after serving for more than 30 years in the Senate.
There’s only one seat up for grabs, despite there being two choices. The first is for the remainder of Feinstein’s term, which ends in January 2025. The second is for the full six-year term, which starts that same month. The seat is currently held by Democrat Laphonza Butler, who isn’t running.
“It definitely adds a layer of complexity,” Benjamin Highton, a professor and chair of the political science department at UC Davis, said of the doubled-up races.
Only seven candidates are vying to complete Feinstein’s term. And yet almost 30 candidates, including all seven of the partial-term hopefuls, are on the ballot for the full six-year term.
Highton predicts that voters will pick the same candidates in both races, with the four most competitive getting the most votes. Those are Republican and former pro baseball player Steve Garvey, as well as Democratic U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
“My guess is that those four are going to soak up the vast majority of the votes,” Highton said.
Lee, whose East Bay district includes Oakland and Berkeley, said in a statement that she’s running because, as a progressive, she’s always fought for working people.
"I know what it is to struggle,” Lee said. “I raised two little boys on my own while on public assistance and earning my college degree. This isn’t just working on policy issues for me, it’s what I’ve lived through.”
Down in Southern California, Porter’s district includes the relatively more conservative cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Calling herself the only elected official in the race who’s representing a swing district, Porter said in a statement that she initially ran for Congress to get government to work for “real Americans.”
“I’ve won three tough races in an ideologically diverse district by being a straight shooter with voters,” she stated, “letting them know where I stand, and showing them through my actions that I work for them, by refusing corporate PAC and lobbyist money.”
Garvey and Schiff couldn’t be reached for comment. Schiff currently represents a district in the north Los Angeles area, while this will be Garvey’s first race.
The top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election, regardless of political party. That’s because California uses a so-called “jungle primary” process in which there’s no guarantee that both the Republican and Democratic parties will send a candidate to the general election. On the March 5 primary ballot, voters will see every candidate’s name (not just those of their chosen party) and can vote for anyone.
