The Green Papers
2020 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
 
Copyright www.flags.net/UNST.htm California Democrat
Presidential Nominating Process
Primary: Tuesday 3 March 20201
Post-primary Caucus: Sunday 7 June 2020
Delegation Meeting/State Convention: Sunday 28 June 2020
Democrats
CandidateDelegate Votes
Hard TotalFloor
Biden, Joseph Robinette "Joe", Jr.172  34.82%263  53.24%
Sanders, Bernard "Bernie"225  45.55%231  46.76%
Bloomberg, Michael Rubens "Mike"7   1.42% 
Warren, Elizabeth Ann11   2.23% 
(available)79  15.99% 
Total494 100.00%494 100.00%

States Chronologically   States Alphabetically
 
Democratic Convention
AK AL AR AS AZ CA CO CT DA DC DE FL GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MP MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UN UT VA VI VT WA WI WV WY
 
Republican Convention
AK AL AR AS AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MP MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VI VT WA WI WV WY
 
California Primaries for Statewide offices and Congress
 
California State and Local Government

 
 

Due the COVID-19 virus, the District Caucuses were postponed from 19 April to 7 June and the State Convention from 17 May to 28 June.

2020 Delegate Selection Plan from the California Democratic Party.
May 2019: Draft Delegate Selection Plan sent to Delegate Selection & Affirmative Action Committee (DSACC) Members.
23 August 2019: SAAC Statewide meeting to adopt Final Plan


2020 California Election Guide, Presidential Primary Election - March 3, 2020, and Generally Recognized Presidential Candidates from the California Secretary of State.


3 March 2020 Primary returns from the California Secretary of State.


Senator Ricardo Lara introduced SB 568 on 11 April 2017. The state legislature passed SB 568 (Assembly 55-21 on 15 September; Senate 26-10 on 16 September). Governor Jerry Brown (Democratic) signed the biill on 27 September. This law moves all primaries from June to the "1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in March in each even-numbered year" (effective 1 January 2019).


30 July 2019: Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic) signed SB 27 which requires presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to appear on the state's primary ballot. The state's Constitution says "The candidates on the (presidential primary) ballot are those found by the Secretary of State to be recognized candidates throughout the nation or throughout California" [Article II, sec. 5(c)].
21 November 2019: The California Supreme Court rules the law violates the state's constitution.


   

This Presidential Primary coincides with a state/local primary. These coinciding primaries tend to have an impact upon voter turnout.

Participation in California's delegate selection process is open to all voters who wish to participate as Democrats. Under California law, voters who are either registered as either Democrats or No Party Preference may request a Democratic primary ballot. Voters who do so, will have the request noted on their voter file. Any U.S. citizen resident in California who is not on parole for a felony conviction may register to vote as a Democrat. [(Rule 2.A Rule 2.C & Reg. 4.3)]

Tuesday 3 March 2020: California Primary. Hours 7:00a-8:00p PST (1500-0400 UTC). Delegate Pledging: Proportional Primary. Voter Eligibility: Modified Primary.

Primary
Source: California Secretary of State.
Status: Official. Retrieved: Saturday 2 May 2020.
Included in Nationwide vote.

CandidatePop
Vote
%
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders2,080,84635.97%
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.1,613,85427.90%
Elizabeth Ann Warren762,55513.18%
Michael Rubens "Mike" Bloomberg701,80312.13%
Peter Paul Montgomery "Pete" Buttigieg249,2564.31%
Amy Jean Klobuchar126,9612.19%
Thomas Fahr "Tom" Steyer113,0921.96%
Andrew Yang43,5710.75%
Tulsi Gabbard33,7690.58%
Julián Castro13,8920.24%
Michael Farrand Bennet7,3770.13%
Marianne Williamson7,0520.12%
Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, III6,1510.11%
Cory Anthony Booker6,0000.10%
John Kevin Delaney4,6060.08%
Michael A. Ellinger3,4240.06%
Joseph A. "Joe" Sestak, Jr.3,2700.06%
Mark Stewart Greenstein3,1900.06%
Deval Laurdine Patrick2,0220.03%
Mosemarie Dora "Mosie" Boyd1,6390.03%
Robert Jordan (write-in)200.00%
Daphne Denise Bradford (write-in)80.00%
Nakia Lacquers Anthony (write-in)30.00%
Willie Felix Carter (write-in)30.00%
Michael Dename (write-in)00.00%
Jeffrey H. Drobman (write-in)00.00%
Heather Marie Stagg (write-in)00.00%
Total5,784,364100.00%
 

415 of 494 delegates to the Democratic National Convention are pledged to presidential contenders based on the results of the voting in today's California Presidential Primary. A mandatory 15 percent threshold is required in order for a presidential contender to be pledged National Convention delegates at either the congressional district or statewide level. How the Democratic Proportional Delegate Allocation Math works.

  • 271 district delegates are to be pledged proportionally to presidential contenders based on the primary results in each of the State's 53 congressional districts.
  • 144 delegates are to be pledged to presidential contenders based on the primary vote statewide.
    • 90 at-large National Convention delegates
    • 54 Pledged PLEOs

Primary
Source: California Secretary of State.
Status: Official. Retrieved: Saturday 2 May 2020.

ContestSandersBidenWarrenBloomberg
 Pop
Vote
Qual
Vote
DelPop
Vote
AllocDelPop
Vote
AllocDelPop
Vote
AllocDelPop
Vote
AllocDel
CD191,41452,797431,1022.356221,6951.644211,818  9,395  
CD2201,323149,908667,1012.686350,8782.036231,9291.278127,185  
CD3100,72964,089534,5272.694329,5622.306212,132  12,087  
CD4113,45663,218529,6572.346233,5612.654312,970  16,696  
CD5156,86993,908651,2243.273342,6842.727319,825  23,424  
CD6122,33378,165543,8472.805334,3182.195217,462  13,116  
CD7114,16971,177535,3012.480235,8762.520312,739  14,861  
CD857,38238,378420,4772.134217,9011.86625,067  6,755  
CD985,18969,260528,0592.026227,6771.99825,985  13,5240.9761
CD1073,99959,137426,2341.774221,5521.45815,362  11,3510.7681
CD11162,644122,016647,1912.321249,8952.454323,890  24,9301.2261
CD12233,000189,139778,8522.918355,8002.065254,4872.017225,710  
CD13229,550197,006788,8473.157351,4051.827256,7542.017218,484  
CD14159,350117,561650,7842.592341,9962.143223,661  24,7811.2651
CD15127,37781,111643,4943.217337,6172.783314,594  18,347  
CD1658,83039,465424,0712.440215,3941.56024,247  7,407  
CD17110,29368,329539,7972.912328,5322.088213,835  15,750  
CD18177,148156,163647,0531.808251,3671.974230,3781.167127,3651.0511
CD19115,17174,600644,7463.599429,8542.401212,290  15,673  
CD20133,40687,125553,1023.047334,0231.953217,282  14,569  
CD2138,18626,143416,4892.52339,6541.47711,936  5,246  
CD2266,26442,068422,8092.169219,2591.83125,850  8,633  
CD2354,95335,784419,1792.144216,6051.85624,935  6,694  
CD24135,99984,582548,0722.842336,5102.158219,968  14,246  
CD2581,99456,731529,1712.571327,5602.42928,195  8,228  
CD26114,41174,889539,3332.626335,5562.374213,210  13,889  
CD27114,03192,178540,9842.223233,2831.805217,9110.972111,663  
CD28148,891125,565659,4962.843333,7851.614232,2841.543111,235  
CD2980,07157,081539,8633.492317,2181.50828,939  6,204  
CD30132,922105,347643,3972.472341,5372.366220,4131.163114,917  
CD3173,42052,458528,7312.738323,7272.26226,090  8,076  
CD3278,78757,415535,2163.067322,1991.93325,881  8,278  
CD33163,407125,103642,8902.057255,8532.679326,3601.264123,437  
CD34102,16572,068554,9023.809417,1661.191115,005  8,247  
CD3565,22748,836430,4252.492218,4111.50824,015  7,142  
CD3684,69161,549423,2731.512125,1961.63726,899  13,0800.8501
CD37149,549124,204653,2212.571346,7522.258224,2311.171115,177  
CD3893,15467,593538,8912.877328,7022.12327,052  9,814  
CD3982,72455,610530,3842.732325,2262.26827,924  10,446  
CD4065,09350,326536,7243.649413,6021.35113,504  5,772  
CD4170,38551,304531,6503.085319,6541.91525,253  7,509  
CD4269,99947,976525,8662.696322,1102.30425,498  8,691  
CD4399,21970,231536,2302.579334,0012.421210,195  9,917  
CD4477,20556,821533,9732.989322,8482.01124,805  7,388  
CD45108,84568,687537,0252.695331,6622.305213,008  14,739  
CD4665,44448,212435,1442.916313,0681.08415,054  6,872  
CD47100,28566,017538,6352.926327,3822.074212,240  10,639  
CD4899,84476,836530,3491.975230,2131.966211,032  16,2741.0591
CD49116,97671,518535,8202.504335,6982.496214,267  17,061  
CD5081,52350,948428,4652.235222,4831.76529,173  10,606  
CD5171,42252,029535,1143.374316,9151.62624,882  8,047  
CD52137,10983,172641,9863.029341,1862.971319,994  18,408  
CD53136,04288,569651,4803.487337,0892.513319,780  13,780  
PLEO5,783,8693,694,350542,080,65330.413301,613,69723.58724762,490  701,765  
At-Large5,783,8693,694,350902,080,65350.688511,613,69739.31239762,490  701,765  
Total
Delegates
  415  225  172  11  7
 

Sunday 7 June 2020 - Post-primary Caucus. National Convention District-level delegates are elected according to the results of the primary.

 

Sunday 28 June 2020: Delegation Meeting/State Convention

National Convention Pledged PLEO and At-Large delegates are elected, by a quorum of the district-level delegates, according to the results of the primary.

The remaining 79 National Convention delegates consist of

  • 79 Unpledged PLEO delegates:
    • 31 Democratic National Committee members.
    • 47 Members of Congress (2 Senators and 45 Representatives).
    • 1 Governor.
    • 0 Distinguished Party Leaders.

These 79 delegates and will go to the Democratic National Convention officially "Unpledged".

 

Notes

Primary dates marked "presumably" and polling times marked "reportedly" are based on unofficial or estimated data (especially as regards local variations from a jurisdictionwide statutory and/or regulatory standard) and are, thereby, subject to change.

1 Democratic Party's "First Determining Step" of the delegate selection process.

 

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution   Links to State Constitutions
  http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/const.html
Election Authority
  California Secretary of State
  California Secretary of State - Elections
Legislature   Links to State Legislatures
  California State Assembly
  California State Legislature
  California State Senate
Democratic
  California Democratic Party
  California Senate Democratic Caucus
  California Senate Democratic Caucus
Media & others
  @LA - the guide to Greater Los Angeles and Southern California
  Alameda Times-Star
  Antelope Valley Press
  Beverly Hills Weekly
  California Voter Foundation
  Calraaces.com - Insider Commentary on California Politics
  Chico Enterprise-Record
  Daily Breeze - Torrance
  Daily Democrat - Woodland
  Daily Republic - Fairfield
  East Bay Times - Walnut Creek
  ElectionVolunteer.com - California Candidate and Election Information
  FlashReport
  Fort Bragg Advocate-News
  Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Ontario
  Join California Election History for the State of California
  Los Angeles Daily News
  North County Times - San Diego and Riverside Counties
  OC Weekly - Orange County
  Pasadena Star-News
  Politics1.com - California
  Random Lengths News - San Pedro
  Redlands Daily Facts
  Ridgecrest Daily Independent
  Rough & Tumble
  San Bernardino Sun
  San Francisco Bay Guardian
  San Francisco Chronicle
  San Gabriel Valley Tribune - West Covina
  San Jose Mercury News
  Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
  Smart Voter - League of Women Voters
  Sonoma Index-Tribune
  The Bakersfield Californian
  The Davis Enterprise
  The Lompoc Record
  The Los Angeles Times
  The Modesto Bee
  The Mountain Democrat - Placerville
  The Orange County Register - Santa Ana
  The Press-Enterprise - Riverside - Inland Southern California
  The Reporter - Vacaville
  The Sacramento Bee
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  The Tribune - San Luis Obispo
  The Union - Grass Valley
  Times-Standard - Eureka
  Whittier Daily News
 


  Election 2020 - Presidential Primary, Caucus, and Convention Home  
 
  Presidential Candidates  
 
  States Alphabetically  
  Events Chronologically  
  Major Events Chronologically  
  Democratic "First Determining Step" Chronologically  
  Poll Closing Times Chronologically   --   Poll Closing Times Alphabetically  
 
  Chronological Cumulative Allocation of Delegates  
  Weekly Delegate Distribution and Availability  
 
Delegate Counts
  Democratic Pledged and Unpledged Summary   --   Republican Pledged and Unpledged Summary  
  Democratic Hard and Soft Summary   --   Republican Hard and Soft Summary  
  Democratic Hard and Floor Summary   --   Republican Hard and Floor Summary  
Commentary: THE TIES THAT BIND-- OR DO THEY? or, Politicus Unbound
 
Delegate Allocation
  Democratic Quick Reference   --   Republican Quick Reference  
  The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation   --   The Math Behind the Republican Delegate Allocation  
  Democratic Timing Penalties and Bonuses  
 
  Democratic Delegate Pledging and Voter Eligibility   --   Republican Delegate Selection and Voter Eligibility  
 
  Primaries at a Glance  
 
  Results Status and Date Retrieved  
....
  Estimating the Delegate Count  
....

 
Documentation
  Historical Analysis of the Presidential Nominating Process  
  Historical Analysis of the apportionment of delegate votes at the National Conventions of the two major parties  
  Primary/Caucus/Convention Glossary  
  Statutory Election Information of the Several states / Presidential Primary  
  Dates of PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES re: selection and/or allocation/distribution of Delegates to Major Party National Conventions  
 
  Major Third Party Presidential Nomination Process  
 
  Straw Polls  
 
  (download)