Election Results: CA's Props, Key Congressional Races & More

UPDATED AT: 11:57 P.M. — As expected, California went for Joe Biden over Donald Trump for president, and hours after the polls closed, there were no major upsets in California's statewide elections. The state's eight competitive congressional races remained too close to call along with the most closely watched ballot measures.

The Associated Press, however, did call a handful of ballot measure results with Prop 17 passing to allow parolees to vote and Props 20, 21, and 23 failing. With just over 63 percent of precincts tallied voters rejected the tough-on-crime measure, expanded rent control, and new dialysis clinic regulations.

Prop 22 passed with with 58 percent in favor and 68 percent of precincts tallied. The proposition would define ride-share drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.

While the presidential race was too close to call nationally, California handily gave Biden its 55 electoral votes, the most of any state. Votes will continue to be counted for weeks to come in California, but Trump said he has plans to stop that.

He held a press conference late early Wednesday morning at the White house, claiming victory and announcing plans to ask the Supreme Court to halt all ongoing vote counting.

"Frankly we did win this election," Trump said. "This is a major fraud on our nation ... we want all voting to stop."

Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted several minutes later, assuring "Every vote will be counted."

For his part, Biden predicted he would win once all the votes were counted.

"It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who wins this election," Biden said during an early Wednesday morning speech to supporters, urging that it is instead the place of the "American people."

The polls closed in California at 8 p.m. with results pouring in instantly, as a record number of mail-in ballots were tallied ahead of Election Day. In the hours to come, votes processed will decide the fate of one of the most divisive elections in California's history.

Newsom touted how the Golden State's Election Day went on Twitter Tuesday night, crowing it as "the largest universal vote-by-mail effort ever managed in our country."

Californians, Newsom said, more than doubled previous early-voting records, delivering the largest voter turnout in history.

"We demonstrated that our democratic will is stronger than those who would threaten our free and fair elections with phony threats or the fog of fear tactics," Newsom tweeted.

Despite widespread fears of Election Day violence, voting in the Golden state progressed smoothly in most places, with notable exception of a fake voting center allegedly established in Orange County complete with "I voted" stickers, handed out to unsuspecting voters, according to authorities and media reports.

As the polls closed, rallies and demonstrations were kicking off around the state's urban centers.

Police declared an unlawful assembly near Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles just after 8 p.m. The Los Angles Police Department responded what it called "a large and unruly crowd."

Black Lives Matter supporters were hosting a viewing party in the area when a group of anti-District Attorney Jackie Lacy protesters gathered to make a final push to defeat the incumbent.

Several people were detained, although a reason was not immediately known. One demonstrator told FOX that police believed people in the crowd were about to start looting in the area.

Other smaller protests and socially distanced viewing parties were planned by Refuse Fascism in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Businesses in places such as Los Angeles pre-emptively boarded up their widows, and the Los Angeles police Department declared a tactical alert ahead of the polls closing.

But even as law enforcement agencies and businesses across urban centers prepared for potential civil unrest, and poll workers grappled with assisting voters during a pandemic, an unusual calm swept over vote centers across California on Tuesday. With more than half of all registered voters casting ballots prior to Election Day, vote centers saw very little commotion.

Still, Newsom said Tuesday afternoon that California was "prepared" and ready for the possibility of civil unrest the evening could bring.

And the day didn't go off without a hitch. Riverside County responded to reports of long lines by adding additional voting machines to some of its voting centers Tuesday.

There was also some concern about potential voter intimidation or partisan politicking at the polls.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a Trump supporter in Sacramento County attempted to start a pro-Trump chant among voters lined up to vote while also pressuring residents to discard their masks. And Trump supporters in Orange County were asked to leave their Trump flags and banners outside of the voting center since it is illegal to campaign at polling centers.

While it could be weeks until races are considered final, Golden State voters won't have to wait long to see which way the winds are blowing.

The Registrar of Voters in Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous county, released a tally of all mail ballots received prior to election day within 30 minutes of polls closing at 8 p.m.

"On Election Night, we will have a good picture of most contests, but the outcomes of close contests may take days or weeks to settle. This is normal," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement.

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Voters were asked to decide upon 12 statewide measures that would send shockwaves across California. The measures, including the most expensive ballot measure campaign in state history, will determine the future of property taxes and school funding, stem cell research, rent control, and voting rights in California. They’ll aso determine the fate of ride-share companies and app-based drivers, cash bail and criminal justice reform.

There are also eight competitive U.S. House of Representative races that will determine if the GOP can maintain or build upon its tenuous foothold in California.

CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE RESULTS

California's Competitive Congressional Races

Democrats swept into the House majority in 2018 in what was dubbed the blue wave, but in California it was really more of a blood bath. Back then, Democrats cut the Golden State’s GOP delegation almost in half. Going into Election Day Tuesday, Republicans had solid hopes of winning back some of those seats, but it's an uphill battle in a state increasingly dominated by Democratic voters.

In all, California’s 4th, 10th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 39th, 48th, and50th Congressional Districts are all rated competitive.

According to Political Data Inc., 12,087,163 ballots — or 55 percent of all mail-in ballots sent out in California — had already been returned as the clock struck midnight on the eve of the election. About 51 percent of the ballots returned were from registered Democrats and the remainder were evenly split between Republican and independent or other party voters. The statewide trend is consistent with the national trend in that voter turnout is expected to set modern records nationwide Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL RACE RESULTS

District 4

Representing the sprawling rural and suburban edge of the Sacramento Valley.

District 10

Representing northern San Joaquin Valley

District 21

Representing San Joaquin Valley and includes Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties

District 22

Representing the San Joaquin Valley, including parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.

District 25

Representing the northern edge of Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County

District 39

Representing parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

District 48

Representing coastal Orange County

District 50

Representing portions of San Diego and Riverside counties

SEE ALSO:

• California’s 2020 Propositions Explained
• 8 CA Congressional Races That Could Help Shape The State's Future
• How To Register To Vote Same-Day In CA: It's Not Too Late
• Counting Votes On Election Day: What To Expect In California

According to the USC Dornsife Daybreak Poll released this week, 50% of Republican voters and those who lean Republican plan to vote on election day, compared to 34% of Democrats and Democratic leaners and 48% of independents. Looked at another way, the results indicate that just under half of the voters showing up at the polls on election were Republicans, more than a quarter were Democrats and another one in five were independents.

City News Service contributed to this report.