Beware the 'red mirage' in early California returns
Early tallies routinely overstate Republican support in California because of how each party's voters cast ballots.
By Hans Laetz
Beware the red mirage Tuesday night. It happens in close races in California in almost every major election.
Early California returns always show Republicans with more votes as a percentage than they actually get when all the votes are counted. It is called the blue shift, or the red mirage, and it is not a result of California Democrats finding votes or rigging elections. That's what President Donald Trump and his supporters have repeatedly claimed.
CalMatters reports that the shift from early tallies is a result of how Democrats and Republicans behave during elections. Democrats vote early, and those votes take longer to verify. Republicans tend to vote on election day, and those results come in quickly.
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