List of California ballot propositions
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The following is a list of California ballot propositions broken down by decade. Propositions can be placed on the ballot either through the initiative process or by a vote of the state legislature. Propositions were added to the California constitution as part of the ethics reform instituted by Governor Hiram Johnson in the early 1910s.
- List of California ballot propositions 1910–1919
- List of California ballot propositions 1920–1929
- List of California ballot propositions 1930–1939
- List of California ballot propositions 1940–1949
- List of California ballot propositions 1950–1959
- List of California ballot propositions 1960–1969
- List of California ballot propositions 1970–1979
- List of California ballot propositions 1980–1989
- List of California ballot propositions 1990–1999
- List of California ballot propositions 2000–2009
- List of California ballot propositions 2010–2019
History
Ballot measures were not numbered prior to the general election of 1914.[1] Until the November 1982 general election, proposition numbers started with "1" for each election. After November 1982, subsequent propositions received sequentially increasing numbers until November 1998 when the count was reset to "1". Starting with November 1998, the count is reset in 10-year cycles.
Until 1960, citizen-led initiative measures appeared on general election ballots only. From 1960 to 2012, initiative measures appeared on primary, general, and special election ballots.[1] In October 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill which requires all future ballot initiatives to be listed only in general elections (held in November in even-numbered years), rather than during any statewide election. Two propositions had already qualified for the next statewide election (which was the June 2012 presidential primaries) prior to the signing of the law, making the June 2012 primaries the last statewide non-general election in California to have statewide initiatives on the ballot. Propositions originating in the State Legislature can still appear on non-general election ballots, as was the case with Propositions 41 and 42 in June 2014.[2]
Notable propositions
Some notable propositions which have received a great deal of attention include
- Proposition 6 (1978) (defeated) on barring homosexuality in the public school system
- Proposition 13 (1978) (passed) on property tax; imposing 2/3 requirement for budget vote, tax increases
- Proposition 65 (1986) (passed) on notification of hazardous materials
- Proposition 98 (1988) (passed) on school funding (requires minimum percentage of budget to be directed toward education with increases based on inflation)
- Proposition 187 (1994) (passed, then declared unconstitutional) on denying illegal immigrants eligibility to receive public services (immediate stay was federally imposed and is still in effect)
- Proposition 209 (1996) (passed) on banning affirmative action in public sector (employment, education, etc.)
- Proposition 215 (1996) (passed) on legalizing medical marijuana
- Proposition 218 (1996) (passed) on right to vote on taxes; constitutional follow-up to Proposition 13 (1978)
- Proposition 22 (2000) (passed, then declared unconstitutional) on a statute banning same-sex marriage
- Proposition 52 (2002) (defeated) Would allow voting registration on Election Day.
- Proposition 71 (2004) (passed) On the use of stem cells in scientific research.
- Proposition 73 (2005) (defeated) on parental notification before abortion
- Proposition 83 (2006) (passed) on various restrictions of civil liberties for paroled sex offenders (Jessica's Law)
- Proposition 85 (2006) (defeated) second attempt at Proposition 73
- Proposition 8 (2008) (passed, then declared unconstitutional) on a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in order to override the In re Marriage Cases (Proposition 22) decision earlier that year that legalized same-sex marriage
- Proposition 14 (2010) (passed) established non-partisan blanket primaries in place of closed primaries
- Proposition 19 (2010) (defeated) on the legalization of marijuana
- Proposition 37 (2012) (defeated) Requires labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified way.
- Proposition 34 (2012) (defeated) on the abolition of the death penalty
- Proposition 47 (2014) (passed) Redefined some nonviolent offenses as misdemeanors, rather than felonies, as they had previously been categorized.
See also
References
- 1 2 "History of California Initiatives". California Secretary of State. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ↑ Siders, David (October 8, 2011). "Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill restricting ballot initiative to November elections". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved Sep 28, 2012.
External links
- California Ballot Measures Database from University of California, Hastings College of the Law Library, a comprehensive, searchable source of information on California ballot propositions and initiatives from 1911 to the present