| Election Name: | 2016 California elections |
| Country: | California |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2014 California elections |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2018 California elections |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Registered: | 19,411,771[1] |
| Turnout: | 75.27% (33.07 pp) |
California state elections in 2016 were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, with the primary elections being held on June 7, 2016. In addition to the U.S. presidential race, California voters elected one member to the United States Senate, all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate.
Pursuant to Proposition 14 passed in 2010, California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary for almost all races, with the presidential primary races being the notable exception. Under the nonpartisan blanket primary system, all the candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once during the primary. The candidates receiving the most and second-most votes in the primary election then become the contestants in the general election.
See main article: United States presidential election in California, 2016.
See main article: California Democratic primary, 2016.
See main article: United States Senate election in California, 2016.
Under California's nonpartisan blanket primary law, passed as California Proposition 14 (2010), all candidates for Senate appear on the ballot, regardless of party. Members of any party may vote for any candidate, with the top two vote getters moving on to the general election. Incumbent Barbara Boxer did not seek re-election, which makes this the first open Senate seat election in 24 years in California.
See main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016.
See main article: California State Senate election, 2016.
See main article: California State Assembly election, 2016.
Since the passage of a law in November 2011, state primary elections may only feature propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature.[2]
The number of propositions in this election was significantly larger than previous elections. The increase has been attributed to the relatively low number of signatures required for ballot placement for this election. The number of signatures required for ballot placement is a percentage of the turnout in the previous election. Since the turnout in the November 2014 elections was low, the number of signatures required for ballot placement in 2016 was 365,880, whereas the typical requirement is well over half a million signatures.[6]
| № | Result | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | School Bonds. Funding for K-12 School and Community College Facilities. Initiative Statutory Amendment. This initiative statutory amendment would authorize $9 billion in bonds for school construction and modernization.[7] [8] | ||
| 52 | State Fees on Hospitals. Federal Medi-Cal Matching Funds. Initiative Statutory and Constitutional Amendment. Among others, this proposed initiative statutory and constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote in the state legislature to change laws that impose fees on hospitals for purpose of obtaining federal Medi-Cal matching funds.[9] | ||
| 53 | Revenue Bonds. Statewide Voter Approval. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. This initiative constitutional amendment requires statewide voter approval for revenue bonds exceeding $2 billion for projects financed, owned, operated, or managed by the state or any joint agency created by or including the state.[10] | ||
| 54 | Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Among other requirements, prohibits the legislature from passing any bill unless it has been published on the internet and in print for at least 72 hours prior to the vote.[11] | ||
| 55 | Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Extends income tax increases from 2012 and allocates the revenue from them for K-12 schools, community colleges, and healthcare programs.[12] | ||
| 56 | Cigarette Tax to Fund Healthcare, Tobacco Use Prevention, Research, and Law Enforcement. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Increases cigarette tax by $2.00 a pack and allocates revenues to healthcare programs and tobacco research.[13] | ||
| 57 | Criminal Sentences. Juvenile Criminal Proceedings and Sentencing. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Increases access to parole for people convicted of nonviolent felonies and modifies how juvenile defendants can be tried as adults.[14] | ||
| 58 | Senate Bill 1174: This mandatory proposition, placed by the state legislature and Governor on September 2, 2014, would repeal most of 1998's California Proposition 227, and thus allow multi-language education in public schools.[15] | ||
| 59 | Senate Bill 254: This mandatory proposition asks voters if they want California to work towards overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, in a similar manner to Proposition 49 from 2014 (which was removed from the ballot by the state supreme court).[16] | ||
| 60 | Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements. Among other requirements, this initiative statute would mandate the use of condoms in adult films and require that producers of said films pay for STI testing and vaccinations for their performers.[17] | ||
| 61 | State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards. This initiative statute prohibits California state agencies from paying more for prescriptions drugs than the United States Department of Veterans Affairs pays.[18] | ||
| 62 | Death Penalty. Initiative Statute. Repeals the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole as the maximum punishment for murder.[19] | ||
| 63 | Firearms. Ammunition Sales. Initiative Statute.[20] | ||
| 64 | Marijuana Legalization. Initiative Statute. Legalizes marijuana and hemp while imposing cultivation taxes and distribution standards.[21] | ||
| 65 | Carry-Out Bags. Charges. Initiative Statute. Redirects revenues from the sale of carry-out bags at grocery stores to environmental projects under the Wildlife Conservation Board.[22] | ||
| 66 | Death Penalty. Procedures. Initiative Statute. Limits death penalty appeals and length of time for death penalty review. Invalidates Proposition 62 if passed by a larger proportion of the popular vote.[23] | ||
| 67 | Referendum to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags. This is a referendum on a law signed by the Governor on September 30, 2014, that would impose a statewide ban on the distribution of single-use plastic bags at grocery stores.[24] |