1986 California Proposition 63 Explained

Proposition 63
Country:	California
Question:	Official State Language
Yes:	5,138,577
No:	1,876,639

The 1986 Proposition 63, titled Official State Language, was a proposition in the state of California on the November 4, 1986 ballot. The ballot initiative created Article III, Section 6 of the California Constitution and made English the official language of the state. The measure passed by a 46.5% margin.^[1] Due to superseding federal laws, the provision is effectively null and was later designated as merely "advisory" by the state attorney general.^[2]

Text

The text of the ballot measure is as follows:

See also

• List of California ballot propositions 1980-1989
• 1998 California Proposition 227
• 2016 California Proposition 58
• Languages of the United States
• Modern English

References

Works cited

• MacKaye. S. D. . 1990 . California proposition 63: Language attitudes reflected in the public debate.. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 508. 1. 135–146 . 10.1177/0002716290508001011 . 145764482 .

External links

• Proposition 63: The California English Language Amendment
• California Constitution: Article III, Section 6

Notes and References

1. Web site: California Proposition 63, English as the Official Language Initiative (1986) . 2023-07-04 . Ballotpedia . en.
2. News: Dillow . Gordon . English-only law likely would go unenforced . 13 October 2024 . Orange County Register . May 21, 2006.