A ballot measure is a piece of proposed legislation that voters approve or reject.  These ballot measures are referred to as “propositions.”  

In 1911, Governor Hiram Johnson proposed a change to California’s political process by introducing the initiative, referendum, and recall to state government.  This gave voters a degree of direct democracy to adopt laws and constitutional amendments without the support of the Governor or the Legislature.  Voters could now create state laws by initiative, repeal laws by referendum (mandatory and optional), and recall elected officials.

Initiative 

• Alters the California Constitution, the California Codes, or other law in the California Statutes.  
• California citizens can write a petition to propose a law and submit it with a filing fee to the California Attorney General.  
• The petition must have the signatures of registered voters (8% for an amendment to the state constitution and 5% for a statute who voted in the last election for governor) to make it on the ballot.
• To pass, “yes” votes must exceed the number of “no” votes.

Mandatory Referendum 

• An act the state legislature passes to make changes to the state constitution.  
• Governor signs the amendment and it goes to the voters as a referendum in the next statewide election.  
• Requires more than fifty-percent of voter support to pass.  

Optional Referendum

• A law the state legislature has already adopted, but voters can veto.
• Similar to the initiative process, but the proponent has ninety days after the law passes to submit a request to the Attorney General to circulate a petition, gather signatures, and file the petition with county elections officials. 
• If the referendum receives more “no” votes than “yes” votes, the law is repealed.

Recall

• California state elected officials may be subject to recall while in office before their term is complete.  
• Voters can recall politicians when they feel the elected official is not properly performing the duties of their office.  
• Proponents must gather at least 12% of signatures from registered voters from the last election for that office by a determined amount of time to start the recall process.
• Once the petition for recall has been validated, a recall election is held within 180 days. 

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Voting For A New Courthouse: a Local Case Study

Voting for a New Courthouse

Elections can have a major impact on a city’s landscape.  Built in 1891, the second San Joaquin County Courthouse was considered the crown jewel of downtown Stockton.  In the 1910s, San Joaquin County and the city of Stockton approved their own building codes for regulating building safety.  Concerns arose due to the courthouse beginning to lean as well as the issue of fire safety, resulted in the building being condemned for demolition or renovation in 1921. 

For more than three decades, County government and local community members engaged in public discussion over the future of the courthouse.  Adoption of the first State Building Standards Law in 1953 forced the community to act.  In 1952, a group of concerned citizens, known as the County Committee for Courthouse Bonds, began an election campaign for a new courthouse.  Voters closely defeated Measure A in November 1956, which would have issued $6.4 million in bonds for a new courthouse.  On September 20, 1960, eighty-two percent of county voters approved a $5.5million bond measure in a special election.

The neoclassical style of San Joaquin County’s second courthouse remains a prominent image in local historical memory.  Debate over whether the building should have been renovated or if the third courthouse design was architecturally appropriate for downtown Stockton continues into the twenty-first century.  The long-lasting public debate on the courthouse bond measure illustrates the importance of local elections. 

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Ending Reflection:

How do elections, and the choices made in elections, affect our daily life?