Prop 32 Results: Campaign Finance Reform Fails

image
Published: 07 Nov, 2012
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
1 min read
Credit: rawstory.com

results for prop 32

Prop 32 results are in and California voters have decided not to pass the campaign finance reform measure with 56 percent of voters deciding No.

Proposition 32 was an attempt to limit money in politics for state and local elections. The measure would have banned employee payroll deductions to be used for political purposes. Corporations, public and private labor unions, and government contractors would not be able to make donations directly to political candidates.

Prop 32 would have changed the political climate of California by changing current finance rules:

Current campaign finance laws in California limit individual and group contributions to $26,000 for gubernatorial candidates and $3,900 for state legislative candidates.

The total funding for the "Yes" campaign totalled approximately $70 million. Notable donors were Charles T. Munger Jr. ($50 million), Arizona's PAC Americans for Responsible Leadership ($11 million), and the American Future Fund ($4.08 million).

The total funding for the "No" campaign also totalled approximately $70 million. Notable donors were the California Teacher's Association ($22 million), California State Council of Service Employees Issues Committee ($8.34 million), and two AFL-CIO organizations ($7.3 million combined). The latest spending reports relate to expenditures made before October 30, since then the spending has likely accelerated, although reports are not due until after the election in California.

Numbers for expenditures were reported by KCET on October 30.

While limiting the power of direct donations, Proposition 32 does not affect money given to Super PACs or political parties. Money will have to be spent without the coordination of the candidate but is unlimited in its amount.

Proponents of Proposition 32 claim to cut the tie between "special interests" and politicians whereas opponents claimed that the measure would generate loopholes and the same money indirectly through parties or other organizations.

IVP Donate

We will not see how Proposition 32 would have affected the future of politics.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read