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Ballotpedia:WikiProject California/Writing about California's ballot propositions
- See also: Ballotpedia:WikiProject California
- See also: Ballotpedia:WikiProject California
This project page is an overview of how to research and write articles on Ballotpedia about:
- California's statewide ballot propositions going back to 1910.
- Local ballot measures in each of the 58 {{california counties}}.
- Recall campaigns in California. (Recall in California is defined as a kind of ballot question.)
This page contains specifics tips and pointers just about California ballot propositions (statewide and local) and its recall campaigns.
For the most part, the way we write about California's ballot propositions follows along these writing guidelines for ballot questions from any state.
However, there are some specific pointers that apply in California. That's what this page is about.
Components for California props
The article should include these parts in this order:
- Introduction
- Election results
- Aftermath (only if events happen after the election that should be reported in the article)
- Constitutional changes (only for proposed amendments, whether they won or lost)
- Ballot language. This section includes 3 and sometimes 4 subsections, which are:
- Ballot title
- Ballot question (this is not always available for historical measures)
- Summary
- Fiscal impact
Election results
| Proposition XX | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Result not yet known | ||||
Constitutional changes
| California Constitution |
|---|
|
| Articles |
| I • II • III • IV • V • VI VII • VIII • IX • X • XA XB • XI • XII • XIII • XIII A XIII B • XIII C • XIII D • XIV • XV • XVI • XVIII • XIX • XIX A • XIX B • XIX C XX • XXI • XXII XXXIV • XXXV |
Proposition XX amended Section 8.5 of Article XIII of the California Constitution as follows, with new text in italics and deleted text stricken out.
Ballot language
Title
The ballot title was:
Summary
The official summary said:
Fiscal impact
- See also: Fiscal impact statement
The fiscal estimate provided by the California Legislative Analyst's Office said:
Support
Supporters
The official voter guide arguments in favor of Proposition XX were signed by:
Arguments in favor
Supporters of Proposition XX made these arguments in its favor in the state's official voter guide:
Opposition
Opponents
The official voter guide arguments opposing Proposition XX were signed by:
Arguments against
Opponents of Proposition XX made these arguments against it in the state's official voter guide:
Campaign finance
Campaign cash 
| |
 Support:
|
XXX |
 Opposition:
|
XXX |
| Total: | $XXX |
In favor
$XXX was contributed to the campaign in favor of a "yes" vote on Proposition XX.
Donors of $100,000 or more were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
Against
$XXX was contributed to the campaign in favor of a "no" vote on Proposition XX.
Donors of $100,000 or more were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
Path to the ballot
The California State Legislature voted to put Proposition XX on the ballot via XXXX.
| Votes in legislature to refer to ballot | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Ayes | Noes |
| Assembly | ||
| Senate | ||
List by year
| How to write about local measures |
|---|
|
| Components |
| Title Introduction Aftermath Election results Text of measure Background Support Opposition Lawsuits Path to the ballot See also External links Additional reading References Categories Templates |
| News desk |
| The project |
- See also: Local ballot measures, California
Vote results boxes
Multiple counties
Counties as rows
| Measure K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County: | Yes | No | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Los Angeles | 4,290 | 56.60% | 3,290 | 43.40% |
| Ventura | 170 | 59.03% | 118 | 40.97% |
| Totals: | 4,460 | 56.69% | 3,408 | 43.31% |
- See also: Recall campaigns in California
