Prop. 27 is one of the biggest California election flops in decades. Here are the others
Proposition 27 is poised to go down as one of the least successful ballot propositions in California history, despite nearly $150 million spent in support of it.
The initiative would have allowed licensed tribes and companies to offer online gambling. It faced off against Proposition 26, which would have allowed sports betting at tribal casinos and horse racing tracks. Supporters of the two ballot initiatives spent more than half a billion dollars trying to convince voters to cast ballot for their initiative and against the other.
As of Thursday morning, just 16.7% of ballots were in favor Proposition 27. It lost in every county. (Proposition 26 also flopped but got 30% of votes.) The last time a proposition got so few votes was in 2004, when Proposition 68 — a measure that would have required Native American casinos to pay 25% of proceeds to the government — got only 16.2% of the vote.
Here’s a look at the 10 least successful ballot initiatives of the past 30 years, based on the percentage of ballots cast in favor of them:
Proposition 68 (2004)
Yes: 16.2% | No: 83.8%
What it wanted to do: Tell the governor to negotiate with Native American tribes and make them pay 25% of gaming device proceeds to the government. If the tribes didn’t unanimously accept, 16 non-tribal racetracks and gaming establishments could start operating up to 30,000 slot machines, paying 33% of proceeds to the government.
Proposition 27 (2022)
Yes: 16.7% | No: 83.3% (as of 11/10/22)
What it wanted to do: Legalize online gaming and set regulations on the industry. Impose a 10% tax on sports bets, with those proceeds supporting initiatives to end homelessness and support Native American tribes.
Proposition 185 (1994)
Yes: 19.5% | No: 80.5%
What it wanted to do: Increase gasoline sales taxes by 4% and use the proceeds to fund transportation projects. (Fun fact: Given gas prices at the time, this would have resulted in an increase of about 5 cents to the price of each gallon.)
Proposition 88 (2006)
Yes: 23.3% | No: 76.7%
What it wanted to do: Levy a $50 parcel tax across the state and give the money to K-12 public schools.
Proposition 70 (2004)
Yes: 23.7% | No: 76.3%
What it wanted to do: Require the governor to amend or enter into a renewable, 99-year gaming compact with any Native American tribe that requested it. Require tribes to pay a percentage of net income to the state. The compact would have no limits on the number of machines or types of games.
Proposition 211 (1996)
Yes: 25.6% | No: 74.4%
What it wanted to do: Make it easier to bring class-action lawsuits related to securities fraud.
Proposition 89 (2006)
Yes: 25.7% | No: 74.3%
What it wanted to do: Increase corporate income taxes to establish a public campaign finance program for candidates for state office. Lower campaign contribution limits for anyone who doesn’t participate in the new program.
Proposition 9 (1998)
Yes: 26.6% | No: 73.4%
What it wanted to do: Prohibit private electric companies from making customers pay the costs of transition to nuclear power.
Proposition 186 (1994)
Yes: 26.6% | No: 73.4%
What it wanted to do: Create a “single-payer” health care system in California, funded largely by a tax on residents and businesses.
Proposition 28 (2000)
Yes: 27.8% | No: 72.2%
What it wanted to do: Eliminate the $0.50 per-pack excise tax on tobacco products and eliminate the California Children and Families First Trust Fund that it supported.
Proposition 157 (1992)
Yes: 28.2% | No: 71.8%
What it wanted to do: Eliminate tolls on toll roads owned by the state and leased to a private entity. The tolls would end when the lease ended, or in 35 years, whichever comes first.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 8:59 AM.