California Midterms: Everything You Need To Know

LOS ANGELES, CA — Whether you've been bemoaning the Trump presidency or fuming over California’s ever leftward march, Nov. 6 is your chance to put up or shut up.

The midterm elections are quickly approaching, and there is a lot at stake. The parties are battling for control of the House, and the battlefield’s ground zero is in California where about seven of the 53 house seats on the ballot are at risk of flipping from red to blue. If the Democratic party can win control of the House, Trump can expect some rigorous investigations and a stymied legislative agenda. And if the June primaries are any indication, California voters are fired up. The state saw its highest midterm voter turnout in two decades. About 37 percent of the state's registered voters turned out, according to Newsweek.

Californians are ready to choose a new governor Nov. 6, and while Democratic candidate and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has the edge in this bluest of states, Republican John Cox outperformed expectations in the June primary, ending Antonio Villaraigosa’s gubernatorial hopes. Similarly, incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein is expected to best her Democratic rival California State Senate President Kevin de León. But the California Democratic Party gave the legislator a not-too-subtle smackdown last week, opting to endorse de León. Political operatives are framing the surprise endorsement as battle for the soul of the California Democratic Party between insurgent progressives and entrenched centrists.

RELATED:

• CA Ballot Measure Promises Major Rent Control Battle
• Democratic Party Weighs In On California Ballot Measures
• Measure To Split CA Won't Be On November Ballot

Also on this fall’s statewide ballot will be a number of hot button ballot measures including the gas tax repeal and a controversial measure repealing longstanding restrictions on rent control. Voters will also be asked to authorize billions of dollars in bond sales for children’s hospitals and for water supply infrastructure, to eliminate the state’s participation in Daylight Savings time, and to direct farmers to expand the space required for confining animals such as veal calves, pigs and egg-laying hens.

What would have been the most controversial measure, an initiative asking voters to divide California into three states, was scrapped from the ballot last week by court order. The state Supreme Court on Wednesday opted to remove the measure from the ballot, contending that serious questions about the validity of the proposal needed to be addressed before voters head to the polls. That proposition may yet appear on a future ballot.

So if you care about the direction of your state and your country, be sure to register to vote here before the Oct. 22 deadline - it only takes a minute. If you aren’t sure if you're registered at your current address, you can check the status of your voter registration here.

Your vote by mail request must be postmarked at least seven days before the election. You can apply here to vote by mail.

You can find your polling place through your county's elections website.

JUNE 30: Gavin Newsom attends 'Families Belong Together - Freedom for Immigrants March Los Angeles' at Los Angeles City Hall on June 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Families Belong Together LA)

California GOP Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox gives an interview during an election eve party at the U.S. Grant Hotel on June 5, 2018 in San Diego, California. Cox, a businessman from Rancho Santa Fe, CA, is the leading Republican candidate for Governor of California(Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images).