Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA) – The Hoover Institution today announced the launch of California Decides, a new civic education initiative designed to give Californians clear, accessible, and evidence-based information about how their state works, the policy challenges it faces, and the choices voters will make at the ballot box.
Launching ahead of the November 2026 election, California Decides will examine issues including housing affordability, energy, education, public safety, state finances, election administration, regulation, and government reform. Rather than telling Californians what to think, the initiative will provide the facts, historical context, competing perspectives, and policy implications they need to reach their own conclusions.
Through Video Explainers, FAQs, Proposition Labs, as well as podcasts, webinars, data visualizations, expert analysis, and other content, California Decides will demystify complex issues while connecting how California government works to the policy choices confronting voters.
Video Explainers: Seeing How California Works
California Decides Video Explainers feature Hoover scholars answering consequential questions about California government and public policy in an accessible, engaging format.
An inaugural video featuring Hoover Volker Distinguished Visiting Fellow Benjamin Ginsberg, a nationally recognized election-law expert, examines how California elections actually work. Ginsberg explains who administers elections, who watches the polls, how ballots are verified and counted, why results can take weeks to finalize, and what safeguards exist when an outcome is challenged. He also explores debates over voter identification, ballot collection, mail-ballot deadlines, voter eligibility, and voter-roll maintenance.
New videos will be released weekly, bringing Hoover scholars to bear on California’s most consequential issues—from elections and government reform to housing, energy, education, public safety, and the state’s economy.
FAQs: Understanding California
California Decides FAQs offer concise, plain-language answers to foundational questions about how California government works and why its institutions operate the way they do. They examine the history and mechanics behind the state’s system of government, elections, taxation, budgeting, regulation, and other major areas of public policy.
Among the questions California Decides will explore:
- Why does California have ballot initiatives, and how do they work?
- Who actually runs California—and which level of government is responsible for what?
- How are elections run in California, and why can counting take weeks?
- How does redistricting work, and what did Proposition 50 change?
- How does Proposition 13 shape California’s taxes and government finances?
- Why can’t the Legislature just change the budget?
- Who regulates California’s energy system, and how does that affect consumers?
- What is CEQA, and why does it come up in so many building fights?
The FAQs show how California’s distinctive rules and institutions interact—and how they affect the decisions made by voters, elected officials, regulators, and local governments across the state.
Proposition Labs: Going Inside the Ballot
California Decides Proposition Labs provide Californians with an understanding of major measures on the 2026 ballot. Each Lab explains what a proposition would do, who supports and opposes it, its potential benefits and risks, and the key questions voters should consider.
Initial Labs include Proposition 39, which would establish new voter identification and citizenship-verification requirements, and Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time 5 percent tax on the net worth of California billionaires, with revenue directed primarily toward health care.
Other Labs will examine major choices facing voters across policy areas including environmental reviews for housing construction and infrastructure, homebuying, taxation, and healthcare.
A Permanent Resource for Understanding California
Rather than telling voters what to think, California Decides equips them with the facts, historical context, competing perspectives, and policy implications they need to make informed decisions. Through plain-language explainers, short videos, podcasts, webinars, proposition guides, data visualizations, and expert analysis, the initiative transforms complex public policy into accessible, engaging content for a broad audience.
Launching in advance of the 2026 election, California Decides will answer the questions Californians are already asking (from housing affordability and energy costs to education, public safety, state finances, and election administration) while also explaining how California government works and what the governor, Legislature, and ballot initiatives can and cannot change. More than an election resource, California Decides is intended to become Hoover’s permanent platform for California civic education: a trusted destination where voters, policymakers, journalists, educators, and community leaders can find clear, evidence-based explanations of the state’s most important challenges and the choices that will shape its future.
For coverage opportunities, contact Jeffrey Marschner, 202-760-3187, jmarsch@stanford.edu.
