California is the home state of Kamala Harris, whom Joe Biden selected as his running mate in 2020. On May 8, 2020, California became the first state to commit to automatically mailing all registered voters a ballot for the November 3 election. A total of 17,785,151 ballots were cast, putting overall state turnout at about 68%. California voted decisively for Joe Biden, who won its 55 electoral votes with 63.5% of the popular vote. California has consistently voted for Democrat presidential candidates since 1992.
California has a bicameral legislature with 40 senators and 80 state assembly members. The legislature meets in December and must adjourn by the following November. Democrats have held the majority in both chambers since 1997. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is eligible for re-election in 2022, unless the current campaign to recall his position is successful, in which case he will no longer serve as governor of California.