On Tuesday, Angelenos voted on fourteen different statewide ballot propositions, focused on issues ranging from wealth taxes to voter ID requirements. Props appear on the ballot if they are proposed by state lawmakers, or if citizens petition and receive enough signatures. Although there were still roughly 4.8 million ballots to count as of Thursday evening due to the state’s need to verify many mail-in ballots, results for some propositions are beginning to come in. Below are some verified outcomes.
Prop 37, which aims to establish a second mortgage homebuyer program to assist with down payments on qualifying homes, passed. The program will be offered to California residents of at least one year who earn at or below 200% of the area median income for a similar-sized family in the county or city where the home is located and provide a down payment of at least 3% of the purchase price. The program will be funded by $25 billion in bonds issued by the California Housing Finance Agency.
Prop 39, which proposed that all voters would need to present government-issued ID when voting and that election officials use government data to confirm voter citizenship, did not pass. As a result, the existing voting policy still stands, where voters are not required to present a government-issued ID when voting, and instead must attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury and provide identifying information when registering. Similarly, election officials are not required to use government data to verify citizenship. This comes after the Trump Administration sent subpoenas to election workers asking them to set aside 20,000 ballots of “likely” non-citizens, which the Supreme Court later ruled against.
Prop 44, which would require nonprofit federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to spend at least 90% of their annual total revenue on expenses that advance the health center’s mission, did not pass. It is estimated that hospitals currently spend 80% of revenue on patient care, according to a non-partisan analysis by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The campaign for the proposition was led by Californians for Responsible Healthcare, who argued that “excessive executive compensation or other non-essentials” were diverting money from patient care. The proposition was opposed by the California Hospital Association, the California Primary Care Association and Open Door Community Health Centers, who argued that penalties for not reaching the 90% threshold could amount to about $1.7 billion, forcing some clinics to close or decrease their services.
Prop 3, which proposed to increase the top marginal tax rate to increase funding for schools, passed. The proposition will indefinitely extend the top marginal tax rates, which range from 10.3% to 12.3%, on single filers earning at least $361,000 or joint filers earning at least $721,000. Of the revenue generated from the tax increase, 89% will be allocated to K-12 schools and 11% will be allocated to community colleges.
While some major propositions have already been determined, many are still counting votes. Other propositions, including a one-time billionaire tax, releasing funds for immunology research, and special tax initiatives have yet to be decided. According to California law, counties have up to 30 days from election day to count all ballots and verify the results.
The post See Results for the 2026 California Election Ballot Propositions appeared first on LAmag.
