California 2020 ballot propositions
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Nov. 3 (in person); Oct. 19 (online; by mail)
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 5
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 20 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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In California, 13 statewide ballot propositions were on the ballot for elections in 2020.
- Twelve (12) ballot measures were certified to appear on the ballot for the election on November 3, 2020. Five were approved, and seven were defeated.
- One ballot measure, Proposition 13, was on the ballot for March 3, 2020, and was defeated.
On the ballot
March 3, 2020:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI | Proposition 13 | Bonds | Issues $15 billion in bonds for school and college facilities |  |
November 3, 2020:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISS | Proposition 14 | Bonds | Issues $5.5 billion in bonds for state stem cell research institute |  |
| CICA | Proposition 15 | Taxes | Requires commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on market value and dedicates revenue | |
| LRCA | Proposition 16 | Affirmative Action | Repeals Proposition 209 (1996), which says that the state cannot discriminate or grant preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, or contracting | |
| LRCA | Proposition 17 | Suffrage | Restores the right to vote to people convicted of felonies who are on parole | |
| LRCA | Proposition 18 | Suffrage | Allows 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primaries and special elections | |
| LRCA | Proposition 19 | Taxes | Changes tax assessment transfers and inheritance rules | |
| CISS | Proposition 20 | Law Enforcement | Makes changes to policies related to criminal sentencing charges, prison release, and DNA collection | |
| CISS | Proposition 21 | Housing | Expands local governments' power to use rent control | |
| CISS | Proposition 22 | Business | Considers app-based drivers to be independent contractors and enacts several labor policies related to app-based companies | / |
| CISS | Proposition 23 | Healthcare | Requires physician on-site at dialysis clinics and consent from the state for a clinic to close | |
| CISS | Proposition 24 | Business | Expands the provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and creates the California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the CCPA | |
| VR | Proposition 25 | Trials | Replaces cash bail with risk assessments for suspects awaiting trial | |
Withdrawn
The campaigns behind the following ballot initiatives collected enough valid signatures for their measures to appear on the ballot but withdrew their proposals.
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CICA | Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative (Version 17-0055) | Taxes | Require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on market value and dedicates revenue (Withdrawn after a second version qualified for the ballot) | 
|
| CICA | Property Tax Transfers and Exemptions Initiative | Taxes | Change how tax assessments are transferred between properties and when tax assessments are reset to market value |
|
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
Referral of 2020 ballot measures
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the legislative referrals certified for the ballot, the votes that the referrals received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the referrals in each legislative chamber:
| California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 27 | Yes votes: 35 (87.50%) | No votes: 4 (10.00%) | Yes: 29; No: 0 | Yes: 6; No: 4 |
| House: | Required: 53 | Yes votes: 78 (98.73%) | No votes: 1 (1.27%) | Yes: 61; No: 0 | Yes: 17; No: 1 |
| California Proposition 16, Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 27 | Yes votes: 30 (75.00%) | No votes: 10 (25.00%) | Yes: 29; No: 0 | Yes: 1; No: 10 |
| House: | Required: 53 | Yes votes: 60 (75.95%) | No votes: 14 (17.72%) | Yes: 58; No: 0 | Yes: 1; No: 14 |
| California Proposition 17, Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 27 | Yes votes: 28 (70.00%) | No votes: 9 (22.50%) | Yes: 27; No: 0 | Yes: 1; No: 9 |
| House: | Required: 54 | Yes votes: 54 (68.35%) | No votes: 19 (24.05%) | Yes: 52; No: 5 | Yes: 2; No: 14 |
| California Proposition 18, Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 27 | Yes votes: 31 (77.50%) | No votes: 7 (17.50%) | Yes: 29; No: 0 | Yes: 2; No: 7 |
| House: | Required: 53 | Yes votes: 56 (70.89%) | No votes: 13 (16.46%) | Yes: 55; No: 1 | Yes: 1; No: 12 |
Getting measures on the ballot in California
Process for ballot initiatives in California
In California, citizens have the right to initiate legislation through the ballot initiative or repeal legislation through the veto referendum. Getting an initiative or referendum placed on the ballot requires a measure's proponents to complete four steps. Step 1 requires proponents of an initiative to file their proposal with the attorney general's office, which prepares the language used on petitions for the initiative. Step 2 involves the measure receiving the circulating title and summary, allowing proponents to begin collecting signatures. The secretary of state assigns the initiative with a signature filing deadline. Step 3 requires proponents to tell the secretary of state's office that at least 25 percent of the required signatures have been collected for the initiative. Step 4, the final step, is the submission of signatures for a ballot initiative or referendum.
Click on the following bolded text to view which ballot initiatives have completed each step.
- Step 1—Filed for ballot title: Proponents file their proposed ballot initiative with the attorney general to receive circulating language.
- Step 2—Cleared to circulate: Proponents receive the circulating language for their ballot initiative, giving the go-ahead to begin collecting signatures.
- Step 3—25 percent of signatures reached: Campaign reports that 25 percent of the required signatures for its initiative had been collected.
- Step 4—Signatures submitted: Proponents of an initiative file unverified signatures with local election officials.
Signatures submitted
Proponents of a ballot initiative file signatures with local elections officials, who then have eight days to determine a raw count of unverified signatures and communicate the count to the secretary of state. If the raw count is more than the required number of signatures, the secretary of state instructs local officials to conduct a random sampling of the submitted signatures. If the random sample indicates more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures, the initiative qualifies for the ballot. If the sample indicates fewer than 95 percent of the required number of signatures, the initiative fails to make the ballot. If the random sample indicates more than 95 percent but fewer than 110 percent, a full check of each signature must be conducted.
25 percent of signatures reached
Proponents of initiatives are required to report when 25 percent of the number of signatures required had been gathered. The secretary of state notifies each chamber of the California State Legislature to hold joint public hearings on the initiative proposals. Legislators could decide to consider the initiative as legislation, although this has no direct effect on whether an initiative appears on the ballot. Proponents of an initiative could consider withdrawing their proposal if the legislature approved their initiative as legislation.
Cleared to circulate
Once the attorney general's office assigns a ballot title and a summary to an initiative, proponents are allowed to begin collecting signatures. Proponents of an initiative are given 180 days from the date the title and summary were assigned to collect the required signatures. Proponents of a veto referendum are given 90 days from the date the governor signed the targeted legislation.
Submitted to attorney general
The first step to getting an initiative prepared for signature gathering is submitting the proposal to the attorney general's office, which prepares a ballot title and summary of the proposal. When a proposal arrives at the office, the measure receives an expected date for when the attorney general will issue a ballot title and summary.
Process for legislative referrals
The California State Legislature can refer statewide measures to the ballot. There are several forms of legislative referrals in California, including constitutional amendments, state statutes, and bond issues. Legislative referrals can appear on statewide election ballots, including primary elections and general elections.
California is one of 16 states that requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 54 (of 80) votes in the California State Assembly and 27 (of 40) votes in the California State Senate, assuming no vacancies. The governor's signature is not required to refer a constitutional amendment.
The legislature can refer statutes with a simple majority vote and and bond issues with a two-thirds vote, and the governor's signature is also required. In California, changes to voter-approved ballot initiatives need to be referred to voters for approval or rejection unless the changes further the initiative's purpose.
Senate Bill 300
Based on California Elections Code 9040 (CEC 9040), the deadline for the California State Legislature to place legislative referrals, including constitutional amendments, on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020, was June 25, 2020. Since CEC 9040 is a statute, the state Legislature can waive or adjust the referral deadline with a bill.[1]
With Senate Bill 300 (SB 300), the state Legislature is seeking to allow more time to place three constitutional amendments—ACA 4, ACA 11, and ACA 25—on the ballot for November 3. SB 300 would give the state Legislature until July 1, 2020, to pass the constitutional amendments.[2]
On June 26, the Assembly voted 47 to 16 to pass SB 300. On June 29, the Senate voted 29 to 8 to pass SB 300.[2]
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 300 into law on June 30, 2020.[3]
Comparison to 2014, 2016, and 2018
The number of ballot initiatives filed for the 2020 ballot was 46.
In 2018, 66 ballot initiatives were filed, and eight initiatives (12 percent) were put on the ballot. Three additional measures qualified for the ballot, but they were withdrawn following compromises with state legislators. Counting these, there were 11 initiatives that qualified, which amounts to a success rate of between 16 and 17 percent. The number filed for the 2016 ballot was 135, and 15 (11 percent) of the proposals were certified for the ballot. The number filed for the 2014 ballot was 82, and four (5 percent) of the proposals were certified for the ballot.
The following table illustrates how the number of initiatives filed for the 2020 ballot compares to previous cycles at various points in time:
Changes in signature requirements in 2020
California’s 2018 gubernatorial election increased the signature requirement for citizen-initiated measures by 70.3 percent for 2020 and 2022. The percentage increase was the second largest in the state's 106 years of statewide direct democracy. The largest increase was 140.3 percent and resulted from turnout in the 1914 general election, which was the first gubernatorial election that followed women gaining the right to vote in California.
The following graph illustrates the number of signatures required for initiated constitutional amendments (8 percent of the gubernatorial vote) and initiated state statutes and veto referendums (5 percent of the gubernatorial vote) from 1912 through 2026. Prior to 1967, initiated state statutes required signatures equal to 8 percent of the gubernatorial vote.
Local ballot measures
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia also covered all local measures in California and all statewide ballot measures. Click here to see the scope of Ballotpedia local ballot measure coverage by year.
Click here for more information about local ballot measures on the November 2020 ballot in California.
Not on the ballot
The list below contains measures that were proposed and reached a certain stage in the initiative or referral process, but did not make the ballot.
State profile
| Demographic data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 61.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in California
California voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
More California coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in California
- United States congressional delegations from California
- Public policy in California
- Influencers in California
- California fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of California ballot propositions
- Laws governing ballot measures in California
- Campaign finance requirements for California ballot measures
External links
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- ↑ California State Legislature, "Elections Code 9040," accessed June 26, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 California State Legislature, "Senate Bill 300," accessed June 26, 2020
- ↑ California Governor, "Governor Newsom Signs SB 350, Giving the State Protection that PG&E will be Transformed into a Safer Utility," June 30, 2020
