San Joaquin Votes: Exercise Your Rights!
A Local Guide to Elections
Setting the Scene: California Democracy
California’s gold discovery in January 1848 changed the future state’s demographics and finances. Large numbers of people from around the world arrived in California seeking their fortune. The population grew from nearly 14,000 in 1848 to almost 100,000 in 1850. The unruliness in the mining camps required impromptu “miner’s courts” to carry out swift justice. It was obvious California was in need of a civil government.
In late 1848, a group of early Californians met to draft a state constitution. The writers of the constitution relied heavily on the constitutions of Iowa and New York as a guide for California. The constitution establishes and describes the structure, function, powers, and duties of the state government. It gave voting rights to white males, but denied them to women and racial minorities. California’s constitution banned slavery, making the state’s application for statehood complicated. After an intense debate in Congress, California entered the Union as a free state on September 9, 1850. Federal lawmakers saw the value of California’s gold, agricultural products, and other natural resources, which would benefit the country as a whole.
California’s politics are constantly changing and affect the rest of the nation. Political reforms in the 1900s gave California voters a larger voice in politics. The focus shifted from political party campaigns to individual candidates speaking at political rallies. San Joaquin County has hosted a variety of political candidates as they campaigned across the state, including William Jennings Bryan, Charles Evans Hughes, Herbert Hoover, Robert F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Al Gore, Dan Quayle, George W. Bush, Bernie Sanders, and Michael Bloomberg.
Despite the state’s influence on politics, voter turnout in California falls below the national average. While the political focus is usually at the federal and state levels, local political issues have a greater impact on our everyday lives. It is our responsibility as citizens to make our voices heard on the issues that arise on the national, state, and local levels and to vote for politicians we feel will best represent us.
In this exhibit, you will learn about the mechanics of elections in California and San Joaquin County.
