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Poll: Many California voters get their info from social media, even if they don't trust it

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Poll: Many California voters get their info from social media, even if they don't trust it

In California, where a ballot often contains pages of candidates and ballot measures, most voters rely on the state-provided guide for election information, a new poll has found. But with so much at stake, Californians also seek out information from a variety of other channels — including social media, despite many saying it is an unreliable source.

UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found that 58% of voters turn to the official voter guides, 40% to newspapers or magazines, 39% to search engines such as Google and 32% to social media sources for their election research. YouTube is the most frequently cited social media source for election-related news, followed by Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok, according to the report.

Yet despite their affinity for these apps, 60% of voters who get election-related news from all social media sources say they believe misinformation on those very sources is a major problem. An additional 22% say it is a minor problem.

“Over 80% of Californians who get their news from social media worry that what they are seeing is not truthful or accurate. Our information ecosystems are in danger, and everyone knows it,” Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, said in a statement. “These enormously powerful technologies that shape so much of our lives and our democratic conversation ought to be governed by a wider range of stakeholders —including government, civil society and industry — so they operate in our collective interest.”

The poll found that older voters are more likely to rely on official and traditional sources for their information — such as the voter guide, newspapers and television — while young people tend toward social media, search engines like Google and their family and friends.

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Instagram is the most popular social media choice for young voters. The poll found that 44% of 18- to 29-year-olds use the app to get election-related news, followed by 41% on YouTube and 37% TikTok. Only 15% of 50- to 64-year-olds and 6% of those 65 and older use Instagram for the same purpose.

The poll zeroed in on TikTok, which the U.S. government has recently scrutinized for its association with the Chinese government. In April, President Biden signed a law that would ban the app in the U.S. unless an American company took ownership. The news quickly raised ire among young Americans who frequently use TikTok. The IGS poll found that 59% of 18- to 29-year-olds report scrolling TikTok. Black Californians use the app more than other ethnic groups — 58% followed by Latinos at 51%.

Jacquelyn Mason, interim executive director at Media Democracy Fund, said the deterioration of local and ethnic outlets, plus the way online platforms “deprioritize news as political,” push people to less reliable sources for information.

“This really altogether leaves mainly POC, immigrant and non-English speakers to search for information about their interests and communities on social media, which leaves them very prone to be exposed to more mis- and disinformation,” she said.

“If we care about ensuring voters from all communities have access to information they need and information they trust during this election, then we have to interrupt disinformation campaigns and inoculate people against them. We know that disinformation campaigns are targeting communities of color so foundations have to invest in those communities to help them push back,” said Josh Stearns, senior director of the Public Square Program at Democracy Fund, in a statement.

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“Technology platforms have a huge role to play, but until they get serious about combating disinformation, the best solutions are people powered — organizers, journalists, trusted messengers,” he added.

Californians overwhelmingly support the looming U.S. ban on TikTok — 57%, the poll found. But support drops to 23% among those who use TikTok very often.

“[Non-users] are supportive of pretty much what the government is doing, because they worry about the issues that are there,” DiCamillo said. “That the Chinese government could be using algorithms to shape what people see, or they could be accessing significant amounts of personal information. And there are concerns — legitimate concerns — about them, at least among California voters.”

The poll, which was funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, surveyed 5,095 registered voters throughout California in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.

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See Where the Gerrymandering Wars Have Redrawn U.S. Congressional Maps

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See Where the Gerrymandering Wars Have Redrawn U.S. Congressional Maps

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Tap on a state to jump to its maps.

The nationwide gerrymandering battle has escalated in recent weeks, after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April weakened the Voting Rights Act and set off a scramble to redraw maps in some Southern states that have yet to hold primaries.

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Eight states have redrawn their congressional districts since President Trump pressured Texas lawmakers last summer to pass a new map favoring Republicans. Republican lawmakers in two states are pushing to use a new map ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Here is a look at how district lines have changed in each of the states that have redrawn maps, and how the new maps would have fared in the 2024 presidential election.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers moved quickly to redraw California’s congressional districts in response to Texas’ gerrymandered map. The new California map, which lawmakers approved in August and voters passed in November of last year, was designed to flip five red districts.

The Supreme Court upheld the map in February, dismissing Republican claims that the state’s new district boundaries illegally favored Latino voters.

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Florida’s Legislature passed a new map just days after the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The map creates four more Republican-leaning House seats, splitting up a Democratic-leaning district in the Tampa area and eliminating a Democratic-leaning district in the Orlando area.

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In late September, Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, signed into law a new map that slices the Democrat-leaning core of Kansas City into districts with heavily Republican rural areas. Republicans hope to add one Republican seat, ousting longtime Representative Emanuel Cleaver and leaving the state with just one solidly Democratic district in the St. Louis area.

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In North Carolina, Republicans control both houses of the legislature and approved a new map in October of last year. The new map could give Republicans an extra seat in the First Congressional District, which previously included all eight of the state’s majority Black counties and was redrawn to include more conservative-leaning counties.

Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, cannot veto redistricting plans, per the state Constitution.

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Ohio’s bipartisan redistricting commission approved a new map in October of last year that could add up to two Republican seats. The new map dilutes Democrat-held districts near Toledo and Cincinnati.

Unlike many other states pursuing maps ahead of the normal timeline, Ohio had been required under its state Constitution to redraw its congressional maps before the 2026 midterms.

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Tennessee Republicans moved swiftly after the Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act. Gov. Bill Lee signed a new map into law in early May that carves up the only Democratic district in the state, a majority Black district encompassing the Memphis area, splitting it into three neighboring districts.

A coalition of voters and Democratic candidates sued Tennessee officials in federal court over the new map, arguing that it was unconstitutional to implement new district lines this close to the state’s Aug. 6 primary.

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Texas was the first state to redistrict last year, after President Trump urged Republican leaders to redraw maps ahead of the midterm elections.

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The new map, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in August of last year, could add up to five Republican seats in the state. Democrats argued that the new lines cut into majority Black and Hispanic districts in violation of the Voting Rights Act, but the Supreme Court upheld the map in December.

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A Utah state judge in November tossed out a congressional map proposed by the state’s Republican Legislature, instead adopting a map offered by a centrist coalition. That map adds a Democratic-leaning district surrounding Salt Lake City.

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Alabama had faced a ban on middecade redistricting until after the 2030 census. But after the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, Republicans in Alabama sought to revert back to a map first proposed in 2023 that had previously been rejected as a violation of the act.

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The Supreme Court removed a critical obstacle for the use of that map in May, which would most likely do away with one of two majority-Black districts in the state.

Still, legal challenges remain. A panel of federal judges on May 26 rejected the new map, saying that the districts discriminated against Black people and could not be used so shortly before a vote. Alabama has appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.

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Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, delayed House primary elections after the Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act tossed out Louisiana’s current maps. Ballots cast in the state’s primaries, where early voting began just days after the decision, did not count. New primary elections will be held in November.

The Louisiana Legislature is continuing to debate a new map, but is expected to eliminate at least one of the state’s two majority-Black districts.

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John Thune goes ‘all in’ for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart

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John Thune goes ‘all in’ for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton added another endorsement to his growing field of backers in the Senate GOP: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

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Thune announced his support of Paxton on the Hugh Hewitt show Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after the bloody primary fight in the Lone Star State concluded. And the main target now is Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the insurgent Democratic nominee waiting for Paxton in November.

“The voters, Republican voters in Texas spoke last night,” Thune said. “Ken Paxton is their nominee heading into November, and we got to pivot and go all in to make sure that we keep Texas red, that he wins, and that we keep a far left liberal out of the United States Senate.”

MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS JOHN CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., leaves the Republican Senate luncheon in the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026, arguing that Democrats were pushing to keep DHS closed because it was “politically advantageous.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“And obviously, that seat is gonna be very key to our majority, which will determine the future of this country,” he continued.

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Paxton was neither Thune nor the majority of Senate Republicans’ first choice, however.

Most of the Senate GOP backed longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, throughout the grueling battle to elect Texas’ Republican nominee for Senate. And many were shocked when President Donald Trump opted to endorse Paxton at the last minute, one week out Tuesday night’s runoff election finale.

PAXTON RACKS UP TEXAS ENDORSEMENTS AS BITTER CORNYN RUNOFF HITS FEVER PITCH

Republicans feared that if Paxton came out on top, it could tip the balance in favor of Democrats, who haven’t sent a lawmaker to the upper chamber since 1988.

But facing Talarico, who easily toppled his primary opponent Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has placed the priority of maintaining the GOP’s majority in the Senate over personal choice for Republicans.

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“We’ve gotta do everything we can do as a party, to make sure that that we win this race,” Thune said. “Because, you know, losing is not an option when it comes to the state of Texas, and what it means for our majority in the Senate.”

Thune isn’t the first Senate Republican to back Paxton, either.

‘OPEN BORDERS TRUMP-HATING RADICAL’: GOP UNLEASHES EARLY BLITZ ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT TALARICO

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, President Donald Trump, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are pictured together. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, leapt ahead of the crowd Tuesday night shortly after the race was called and urged the GOP to come together to beat Talarico, who he charged was a “far left freak who supports open borders, trans ideology, and even called the American flag a ‘complicated symbol.’”

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“I am proud to endorse [Paxton],” Moreno said on X. “The voters have spoken, now Republicans must unite and win.”

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And the number two Republican in the Senate, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., soon followed.

“James Talarico is a far-left extremist,” Barrasso said on X. “He is a rubber stamp for open borders, illegal immigrant criminals, and men playing in women’s sports. Talarico is too radical for Texas.”

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Longtime correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi expects to depart ’60 Minutes’ as big changes loom

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Longtime correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi expects to depart ’60 Minutes’ as big changes loom

Sharyn Alfonsi, the longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent who clashed with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss over a story on Trump White House immigration policies, said Wednesday her contract is not being renewed.

“Over the weekend, my contract with CBS News expired, drawing to a close nearly twenty years with the network, including more than a decade at ’60 Minutes,’” Alfonsi, 54, said in a statement to The Times.

“Following an intense editorial dispute over our CECOT story, repeated attempts by my representation to establish a path forward were met with absolute silence from network executives,” she added. “The message could not be clearer: my time at 60 Minutes is apparently over.”

CBS News declined to comment on Alfonsi’s remarks. Her contract expired this past weekend but she remains employed at the division on an “at will” basis, which means she can be terminated at any time, according to people familiar with the discussions. Producers who worked with Alfonsi have been assigned to other correspondents.

Alfonsi made her comments as the “60 Minutes” staff anticipates significant changes in the coming days, which could include shifting the lineup of correspondents. Anderson Cooper has already announced his departure from the program after 20 seasons.

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A scene from the “60 Minutes” report “Inside CECOT.”

(CBS News)

The segment at the center of Alfonsi’s likely exit, “Inside CECOT,” detailed the Trump administration’s treatment of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to an El Salvador prison known for its harsh conditions.

“Inside CECOT” was scheduled to run Dec. 22 but was pulled the day before air by Weiss, who believed it needed more reporting, including a direct on-camera response from the administration, which did not participate.

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Alfonsi protested the decision to hold the story, calling it politically motivated in an email she sent to colleagues that was shared publicly.

Alfonsi said at the time the story was ready for air after being vetted by the network’s attorneys and the standards and practices department.

“It is factually correct,” Alfonsi wrote. “In my view, pulling it now — after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”

“Inside CECOT” eventually ran on Jan. 18 without any substantial changes to its tone or reporting. Weiss acknowledged internally that pulling the segment after it had already been promoted was a mistake.

The move created the first public relations fiasco under Weiss’ watch and tarnished the strong journalistic reputation of “60 Minutes.” The matter also added to the narrative that Weiss was installed at CBS News to placate the Trump administration as parent company Skydance Media sought government regulatory approval to buy Paramount and its current deal to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.

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The program has been in turmoil since October 2024 when President Trump filed a $20-billion lawsuit against CBS over an interview conducted with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that was settled to help clear the regulatory path for Skydance Media’s acquisition of Paramount last year.

Weiss joined CBS News in October with a mandate from Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison to pull the division to the political center. The founder of the conservative-friendly digital news site the Free Press, Weiss has wanted to make changes to “60 Minutes” but put them off until after the 2025-26 TV season ended this past weekend.

In her statement, Alfonsi predicted CBS News would try to make her exit an administrative decision not related to her work.

“In the coming days, network leadership may attempt to hide behind corporate euphemisms like ‘modernization’ and ‘restructuring’ to explain away my departure,” Alfonsi said. “Don’t be misled. This was not a routine corporate transition; it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting, and it sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom.”

Insiders at CBS News are uncertain about the extent of the planned overhaul. Weiss has been advised to limit any disruption to “60 Minutes,” which is coming off a strong season of ratings performance.

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Nielsen data showed the program averaged 9.1 million viewers in its Sunday time period, up 9% from the previous year. The program’s views across digital and social media platforms were also up substantially.

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