California Ballot Measures

Caroline Griffith, NEC Executive Director

 

On November 8, California voters will have the opportunity to vote on seven statewide ballot initiatives, the fewest on the ballot since 1916. The initiative process is one of the few opportunities that the average citizen has to participate in creating and enacting legislation. This is a big responsibility that requires research and education, especially in the face of massive amounts of advertising and scare tactics that are used by proponents and opponents of legislation (cue ominous music). Here is some advice from the NEC on sifting through the initiatives that have made the ballot this November. Some of this advice is also helpful when deciding which candidates to give your vote. Although we don’t have the space to go in-depth on specific initiatives, this will get you started on your research and help you make an informed decision at the ballot box.

How the initiative process works

In 1911, as part of the Progressive movement, California adopted the initiative process, a form of direct democracy in which citizens can initiate policy and voters decide whether or not to adopt it. Currently, there are 26 states with initiative or referendum processes. In California this process generally involves gathering petition signatures in support of placing the initiative on the ballot, after which (if the initiative receives enough valid signatures from registered voters) it goes to a vote. The number of signatures required varies per election and is based on the percentage of registered voters who participated in the previous gubernatorial election. Due to this requirement, not every proposed initiative makes it on the ballot which is why you may experience some petition-signing deja vu as proponents try and try again to gain enough valid signatures to move their issue forward. Some of the initiatives that failed to qualify for the 2022 ballot had to do with a guaranteed $18 minimum wage, local land-use planning taking precedence over state law (this is in reaction to state laws around housing production), limits to “qualified immunity” for police officers, and a prohibition on collective bargaining for public employees. One initiative that environmentalists were supporting would have taxed producers of single-use plastics but was withdrawn by supporters when the state legislature passed SB 54, making the ballot measure moot.

read the full text of the initiative

This might go without saying, but it’s important to know exactly what the initiative is asking. Generally, your voter pamphlet will tell you what a “Yes” vote will do and what a “No” vote will do, because sometimes initiatives are ambiguously worded. Reading the text is important because the advertisements for or against may conveniently leave out important aspects of the initiative, only highlighting those that are popular or buzzworthy.

Find out where the money is coming from

Here in California we are lucky to have the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), formed in the wake of the Watergate scandal, which among other things, requires candidates and ballot measure campaigns to disclose where their donations are coming from. For local campaigns, you should be able to contact your elections office and inquire how to find Form 460, the campaign disclosure form which will show which people, organizations or companies are contributing to campaigns and how much they are contributing. Some cities and counties have these on their websites for easy digital access, whereas in other municipalities you may have to actually visit your elections office and check out a paper copy of the filing. For statewide ballot measures, you can find the list of Top 10 contributors to ballot initiatives (both supporting and opposing) at fppc.ca.gov/transparency/top-contributors/nov-22-gen.html. 

Looking at funding can tell you a lot about who will benefit from the initiative becoming law: Is there big money coming in from specific industries or major corporations? Or is money coming in from Labor Unions or advocacy organizations that represent workers, disadvantaged communities or the environment? This election cycle’s heavily funded measures are Prop 26 and 27, both of which have to do with sports betting, the difference being where it is allowed. Prop 27, which would allow sports betting outside of tribal lands, is being funded by companies such as DraftKings and Fanduel Sportsbook who make their money from sports betting. Prop 26, which would allow sports betting on tribal lands, is being funded by a consortium of California Tribes. By now, you’ve probably received at least one piece of mail about these initiatives, so check the fine print at the bottom to see who paid to send it, and then follow the money trail.

Research who is supporting the initiative 

This is similar to asking who is funding it, but support can also come in the form of advocacy. Advocacy organizations and labor unions are often major contributors to and supporters of ballot initiatives, which means they also work to send volunteers out to contact voters to gain support. This goes for candidates, too, who often proudly display their list of supporters either on their website or campaign materials. Looking at these endorsements and identifying groups or people whose values you share (or whose values you don’t share) is a good way to start making your decision. If you don’t recognize a name, put on your investigative journalist hat and dig into it. A good resource for this is SourceWatch, a program of the Center for Media and Democracy. Often campaign groups are deceptively or ambiguously named. You don’t want to find out after the fact that you accidentally voted for a Koch Brothers-sponsored initiative!

Although non-profit organizations cannot endorse candidates, they can endorse ballot measures, and some environmental groups have formed Political Action Committees specifically to endorse candidates. Some of these include League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, National Resources Defense Council Action Fund, Sierra Club Political Action Committee and California Environmental Voters, the last of which has endorsed Prop 30 that would tax the ultra rich to pay for electric vehicle infrastructure and wildfire prevention. Most of these organizations offer ballot recommendations, so checking their websites is a good place to start. The California State Labor Federation, a statewide coalition of labor unions also provides recommendations, which can be found at calaborfed.org.

Ask your friends

If you are confused about which way to vote, chances are your friends are, too. So get together, bring all of the information you have gathered, and hash it out together. Elections are more fun as a group effort.