California 2018 ballot propositions
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Oct. 8 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2018 California Ballot Propositions | |
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Sixteen (16) statewide ballot propositions were certified for the ballot in California for elections in 2018.
- Eleven (11) of the ballot propositions were certified for the election on November 6, 2018; six were approved and five were defeated.
- Five (5) of the ballot propositions were certified for the election on June 5, 2018; four were approved and one was defeated.
On the ballot
June 5, 2018:
Typ | Titel | Subject | Description | Result |
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LBM | Proposition 68 | Bonds | Issues $4 billion in bonds for parks, environmental protection, and water infrastructure | ![]() |
LRCA | Proposition 69 | Budget | Requires certain tax and fee revenue related to transportation be used for transportation purposes | ![]() |
LRCA | Proposition 70 | Budget | Requires a one-time two-thirds vote to use revenue from the cap-and-trade program | ![]() |
LRCA | Proposition 71 | Direct Democracy | Changes the date for when voter-approved ballot measures take effect | ![]() |
LRCA | Proposition 72 | Taxes | Excludes rainwater capture systems from property tax assessments | ![]() |
November 6, 2018:
Typ | Titel | Subject | Description | Result |
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LBM | Proposition 1 | Bonds | Issues $4 billion in bonds for housing programs and veterans' home loans | ![]() |
LRSS | Proposition 2 | Bonds | Authorizes state to use revenue from millionaire's tax for $2 billion in bonds for homelessness prevention housing | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 3 | Bonds | Issues $8.877 billion in bonds for water-related infrastructure and environmental projects | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 4 | Bonds | Issues $1.5 billion in bonds for children's hospitals | ![]() |
CICA/SS | Proposition 5 | Taxes | Revises process for homebuyers who are age 55 or older or severely disabled to transfer their tax assessments | ![]() |
CICA | Proposition 6 | Taxes | Repeals 2017's fuel tax and vehicle fee increases and requires public vote on future increases | ![]() |
LRSS | Proposition 7 | Zeit | Authorizes legislature to provide for permanent daylight saving time if federal government allows | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 8 | Gesundheitswesen | Requires dialysis clinics to issue refunds for revenue above a certain amount | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 10 | Housing | Allows local governments to regulate rent on any type of housing | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 11 | Labor | Allow ambulance providers to require workers to remain on call during breaks paid | ![]() |
CISS | Proposition 12 | Animals | Bans sale of meat from animals confined in spaces below specific sizes | ![]() |
Removed from ballot
The California Supreme Court removed the following ballot proposition from the ballot:
Typ | Titel | Subject | Description | Result |
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CISS | Proposition 9 | Statehood | Asks government to divide California into three states | ![]() |
Withdrawn
The campaigns behind the following ballot initiatives collected enough signatures for their measures to appear on the ballot. However, the initiatives were withdrawn.
Typ | Titel | Subject | Description | Result |
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CICA | Two-Thirds Vote for State and Local Revenue Increases Initiative | Taxes | Require two-thirds vote of electorate to pass local taxes | ![]() |
CISS | Consumer Personal Information Disclosure and Sale Initiative | Business | Allow consumers to prohibit businesses from selling on disclosing their personal information | ![]() |
CISS | Home and School Remediation Bond and Remove Status of Lead Paint as Public Nuisance Initiative | Bonds | $2 billion in bonds for remediation and declare that lead paint is not a public nuisance | ![]() |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2018
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
- Note: In some cases committees were registered to support or oppose multiple propositions. Ballotpedia lists the total sum that all committees registered to support or oppose each proposition have received in contributions. This means that the sum of all contributions in the chart below is higher than the total amount contributed.
November election
Ballot Measure: | Support contributions: | Opposition contributions: | Outcome: |
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California Proposition 4, Children's Hospital Bonds Initiative (2018) | $11,465,759.35 | $0.00 | ![]() |
California Proposition 7, Legislative Power to Change Daylight Saving Time Measure (2018) | $0.00 | $0.00 | ![]() |
California Proposition 11, Ambulance Employees Paid On-Call Breaks, Training, and Mental Health Services Initiative (2018) | $29,887,769.96 | $0.00 | ![]() |
California Proposition 12, Farm Animal Confinement Initiative (2018) | $13,312,539.22 | $689,278.60 | ![]() |
June election
Ballot Measure: | Support contributions: | Opposition contributions: | Outcome: |
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California Proposition 71, Effective Date of Ballot Measures Amendment (June 2018) | $0.00 | $0.00 | ![]() |
Cost per required signature
The cost-per-required signature (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot. The following chart illustrates the CPRS for ballot initiatives:
Ballot Measure: | Topic: | Petition company | Cost | Signatures | CPRS |
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California Proposition 4 | Bond issues | National Petition Management, INC. | $2,645,311.84 | 365,880 | $7.23 |
California Proposition 11 | Labor and unions | National Petition Management, Inc. | $2,892,967.03 | 365,880 | $7.91 |
California Proposition 12 | Treatment of animals | AAP Holding Company, Inc. and The Monaco Group | $2,199,613.72 | 365,880 | $6.01 |
Averages: | K.A. | K.A. | $2,560,871.05 | K.A. | $6.07 |
Newspaper endorsements
- See also: 2018 ballot measure media endorsements
The tables below record the endorsements of ballot propositions by the top-five California newspapers by circulation in 2018.
June election
Proposition | Los Angeles Times | The Mercury News | The Orange County Register | The Sacramento Bee | The San Diego Union-Tribune |
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Proposition 68 | ![]() |
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Proposition 69 | ![]() |
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Proposition 70 | ![]() |
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Proposition 71 | ![]() |
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Proposition 72 | ![]() |
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November election
Proposition | Los Angeles Times | The Mercury News | The Orange County Register | The Sacramento Bee | The San Diego Union-Tribune |
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Proposition 1 | ![]() |
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Proposition 2 | ![]() |
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Proposition 3 | ![]() |
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Proposition 4 | ![]() |
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Proposition 5 | ![]() |
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Proposition 6 | ![]() |
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Proposition 7 | ![]() |
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Proposition 8 | ![]() |
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Proposition 10 | ![]() |
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Proposition 11 | ![]() |
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Proposition 12 | ![]() |
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Positions of political parties
The following table illustrates the positions of the state's political parties on 2018's ballot propositions:[1]
California Democratic and Republican Parties on November 2018 ballot propositions | |||||
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Proposition | ![]() |
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Proposition 1: $4 billion housing bond | ![]() |
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Proposition 2: millionaire's tax revenue for $2 billion homelessness prevention bond | ![]() |
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Proposition 3: $8.877 billion water bond | ![]() |
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Proposition 4: $1.5 billion children’s hospitals bond | ![]() |
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Proposition 5: expand tax assessment transfers for senior homebuyers | ![]() |
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Proposition 6: repeal 2017 fuel tax increase and require voter approval of future increases | ![]() |
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Proposition 7: year-round daylight saving time | ![]() |
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Proposition 8: limits on dialysis clinics' revenue and required refunds | ![]() |
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Proposition 10: local rent control expansion | ![]() |
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Proposition 11: ambulance workers to remain on-call during breaks and be paid during breaks | ![]() |
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Proposition 12: ban sale of meat from animals confined in spaces below a specific number of square feet | ![]() |
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Comparison to 2016 and 2014
There were 66 citizen-initiated measures filed for the 2018 ballot in California, which was below the number filed for the 2016 ballot and 2014 ballot. 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. Ultimately in 2018, 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 successful initiative efforts, which amounts to a success rate of between 16 and 17 percent.
Geographic origins of ballot initiatives
Of the citizen-initiated measures proposed for the 2018 ballot, 22 ballot measures, or around 33 percent of the 66 proposed, were filed in southern coastal California (Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties). Eighteen (18) initiatives originated in Sacramento County, California, and 15 were filed in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties). The remaining ten initiatives originated in the counties of Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Monterey, Placer, San Bernardino, and San Luis Obispo. One initiative filing did not include an address.
Historical facts
- See also: History of Initiative and Referendum in California and List of California ballot propositions
- A total of 214 measures appeared on statewide ballots in California from 1996 to 2016.
- From 1996 to 2016, the number of measures on even-year statewide ballots ranged from eight to 28.
- Between 1996 and 2016, an average of 18 measures appeared on the ballot in California during even-numbered election years.
- Between 1996 and 2016, about 59 percent (116 of 198) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and about 41 percent (82 of 198) were defeated.
- Before 1960, citizen-initiated measures appeared only on general election ballots; from 1960 through 2011, California ballot measures appeared on primary, general, and special election ballots and were voted on in both even and odd-numbered years.
- In 2011, the California Legislature approved a law requiring all citizen initiatives to go before voters at general elections in Novembers of even-numbered years.
Getting initiatives on the ballot in California
Ballot initiative process
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—91,740 for initiated statues and 146,352 for initiated amendments—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.
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.
Initiatives
Legislative referrals
State profile
Demographic data for California | ||
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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% |
Bildung | ||
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
- Endorsers in California
- California fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2018 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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