California 2004 ballot propositions

2005 →

← 2003

20 statewide ballot propositions were on the California ballot in 2004. Four were on the March 2, 2004 ballot and sixteen were on the November 2nd ballot. Three of the March measures passed and nine of the November measures passed so that overall, twelve of twenty ballot propositions succeeded. A bit more than $290,000,000 ($290 million) was given to ballot question committees pro and con in 2004 in California.

Of the twenty measures, seven were legislative referrals, twelve were initiatives and one was an initiated veto referendum. Of the eleven initiatives, seven were amendments to the California Constitution and five were initiated state statutes. Four of the initiated statutes passed, while just one (a measure approving stem cell research) of the seven proposed constitutional amendments passed.

Historical perspective

Considering citizen-initiated propositions only:

• As of the end of 2004, a cumulative total of 293 initiatives (counting citizen-initiated constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes and not counting veto referenda) had appeared on California ballots since the first initiatives in 1912.

On the ballot

March 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LBM	Proposition 55	Bonds	$12.3 billion in bonds for education	a
CICA	Proposition 56	State spending	State legislature can pass appropriation bills with 55% rather than 67%	d
LBM	Proposition 57	Bonds	$15 billion in bonds to pay off state's accumulated deficit	a
LRCA	Proposition 58	State spending	Requires that the State of California's budget be balanced	a

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposition 1A	State budget	Local government revenues	a
LRCA	Proposition 59	Admin of gov't	Public records, open meetings	a
LRCA	Proposition 60	Elections	Election rights of political parties	a
LRCA	Proposition 60A	Admin of gov't	Surplus property	a
CISS	Proposition 61	Bonds	$750 million in bonds for children's hospital projects	a
CICA	Proposition 62	Elections	Elections, primaries	d
CISS	Proposition 63	Tax increase	Mental health services expansion	a
CISS	Proposition 64	Business regulation	Limits on private enforcement of unfair business competition laws	a
CICA	Proposition 65	State budget	Local government funds, mandates	d
CISS	Proposition 66	Law enforcement	"Three strikes" law, sex crimes	d
CICA	Proposition 67	Taxes	Fund emergency medical services with tax increase	d
CICA	Proposition 68	Gambling	Tribal gaming compact amendments	d
CISS	Proposition 69	Law enforcement	DNA samples, collection, database	a
CICA	Proposition 70	Gambling	Tribal gaming compacts	d
CICA	Proposition 71	Stem cells	Allow and fund stem cell research	a
VR	Proposition 72	Health care	Health care coverage requirements	d

See also

• List of California ballot propositions
• History of Initiative and Referendum in California
• Laws governing I&R in California
• List of California ballot propositions

External links

• Official declaration of March 2, 2004 vote
• Detailed vote results for the March 2004 propositions Broken down by county
• Official declaration of the November 2, 2004 ballot proposition votes
• Detailed vote results for the November 2004 ballot propositions
• November 2004 election results from the California Secretary of State
• March 2004 election results from the California Secretary of State
• Spending on 2004 California ballot measures
• PDF of the mailed March 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 55 and 56
• PDF of the mailed March 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 57 and 58
• PDF of the mailed November 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 1A and 65
• PDF of the mailed November 2, 2004 voter guide for Propositions 59, 60, 60A, 61-64, 66-72