California Proposition 6, Prohibition of Required Vaccination Initiative (1920)

California Proposition 6
Election date November 2, 1920
Topic Vaccinations and disease policy
Status Defeated
Type Initiated constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

California Proposition 6 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in California on November 2, 1920. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported prohibiting the requirement of any vaccine, inoculation, or other medicine for admission into any public school or for employment in any public office.

A “no” vote opposed prohibiting the requirement of any vaccine, inoculation, or other medicine for admission into any public school or for employment in any public office.

Election results

California Proposition 6
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		359,987	43.43%
No		468,911	56.57%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition 6 was as follows:

“

Prohibiting Compulsory Vaccination

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary for this measure was:

“

Initiative measure adding Section 15 to Article IX of Constitution. Declares that no form of vaccination, inoculation or other medication shall hereafter be made a condition for admission to or attendance in any public school, college, university or other educational institution in this state, or for the employment of any person in any public office, and that the provisions of this section shall not be controlled or limited by any other provision of the Constitution.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Arguments

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Opposition

Arguments

• President of the California State Board of Health, George Ebright, M.D.: "The duty of the state to protect the life and health of its citizens is a fundamental principle of government. When the state has a method of protection against the dreadful scrouge of smallpox that is as reliable and thoroughly tested as vaccination it would be a criminal folly to abandon it or impair its efficiency."

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in California

In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast at the preceding gubernatorial election. For initiated amendments filed in 1920, at least 55,094 valid signatures were required.

See also

1920 Measures

• 1920 Measures
• Vaccinations and disease policy on the ballot
• 1920 legislative sessions

California

• California ballot measures
• California ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• California Voter Guide (November 1920)