Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have contributed a combined $2.5 million to block a voter ID measure in California, signaling greater involvement in Democrat and Democrat-aligned politics after stepping down as Netflix chairman.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have donated $2.5 million to oppose California’s Proposition 39, a ballot measure to implement voter ID. 📺 DETAIL: Hastings contributed $1 million earlier this month to a “No on 39” campaign, while Quillin donated $1.5 million at the end of August to a similar campaign linked to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued photo ID for in-person voting, and mail-in voters would be required to provide the last four digits of their ID number on ballot envelopes. This follows polling suggesting that the “No” campaign has a slight lead with 55 percent. Supporters of the Proposition argue it is a necessary step to combat election fraud and restore trust in California’s election process. Notably, Proposition 39’s wording has been accused of being deliberately worded in a way that will encourage Californians to vote against it in November. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Rob Bonta knows that Prop 39 is likely to pass because it is a bipartisan solution to Voter ID and is supported by a supermajority of Democratic, independent, and Republican voters. Knowing he can’t defeat our bipartisan solution to Voter ID in a fair election, he has decided to rig the vote against Prop 39 with a false title claiming it prohibits citizens from voting!” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego). 🎯 IMPACT: This represents another major Democrat-aligned political investment by Hastings, who spent $3 million to support Governor Gavin Newsom (D) during the 2021 recall election. Hastings announced back in April that he would not seek re-election to Netflix’s board, having stepped down as CEO back in 2023. Hastings stated that he intended to focus on “philanthropy and other pursuits.” As such, it is possible that Hastings, as well as Quillin, will become more involved in Democrat and Democrat-adjacent politics. |
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