KQED61%
Threats to California’s Vote-By-Mail Mount Before June Primary 0%
By Scott Shafer0% Marisa Lagos91% Guy Marzorati75%
3/27/2026, 11:14:56 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 11 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Framing Effect, and Unattributed Quote, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 80.7% saturation with 96 hits. Analysis detected 522 faulty-reasoning hits from 119 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
California’s vote-by-mail system is facing a two-pronged attack.
In Riverside County, the sheriff has seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from the November election, making highly questionable allegations of fraud.
Plus, the U.S.
Supreme Court is scrutinizing the practice of counting mail-in ballots that arrive after election day.
Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss the threats to California’s voting laws and what they could mean for the June primary.
Then, they break down a debate debacle in Los Angeles, where the University of Southern California abruptly cancelled a scheduled gubernatorial debate after four candidates of color who were not invited protested that the criteria used to determine who to include was biased.
Confirmation Bias
0%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
6.3%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
12.6%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
12.6%AuthorScott Shafer
6.5%PublicationCalMatters
3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2%PublicationCalMatters
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
66.4%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
66.4%AuthorScott Shafer
30%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.5%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
68.1%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
68.1%AuthorScott Shafer
22.1%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.8%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.1%PublicationCalMatters
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
5.3%PublicationCalMatters
2.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.5%PublicationCalMatters
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
12.6%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
12.6%AuthorScott Shafer
7.6%PublicationCalMatters
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.4%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
4.2%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
36.1%Red Herring
OverallThis article
36.1%AuthorScott Shafer
2.5%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Emotion
0%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
7.5%PublicationCalMatters
5.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
0%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
0%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.9%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Burden of Proof
0%Burden of Proof
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
36.1%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
36.1%AuthorScott Shafer
1.7%PublicationCalMatters
3.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ambiguity (Equivocation)
18.5%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
18.5%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.6%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Unattributed Quote
54.6%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
54.6%AuthorScott Shafer
1.8%PublicationCalMatters
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Quote-first Misdirection
16.8%Quote-first Misdirection
OverallThis article
16.8%AuthorScott Shafer
2%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
80.7%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
80.7%AuthorScott Shafer
20.5%PublicationCalMatters
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.7%PublicationCalMatters
1.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Left Leaning Bias
36.1%Politically Left Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
36.1%AuthorScott Shafer
8.4%PublicationCalMatters
1.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
0%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
8.5%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
119 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.