> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://ivn.us/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# California Is Spending More on Ballot Measures Than the Rest of America Combined
- URL: https://ivn.us/california-is-spending-more-on-ballot-measures-than-the-rest-of-america-combined/
- Published: 2026-11-02T16:29:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-02T16:32:37.000Z
- Description: California is spending more than two-thirds of the $1.2 billion raised nationally for 2026 ballot measure campaigns, with record signature-gathering costs making it increasingly difficult for grassroots reform groups to reach voters.
- Author: Shawn Griffiths
- Tags: Campaign Finance, Midterms, #Top-Story

There are 164 statewide ballot measures in 2026\. According to Ballotpedia, campaigns for and against them have [raised more than $1.2 billion](https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot%5Fmeasure%5Fcampaign%5Ffinance,%5F2026?ref=ivn.us), which is closing in on the $1.33 billion raised during the entire 2024 presidential election cycle.

And one state accounts for the overwhelming majority of the money.

## **California Dominates the Spending**

The money flowed in California this election cycle. According to Ballotpedia’s data, ballot measure campaigns in the state raised $798.9 million. This accounts for more than two-thirds of the national total.

It is also a new state record, surpassing the $763.7 million raised in 2020.

The two most expensive campaigns are:

- Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax that the ballot measure says will fund health care, food assistance, and education. It has attracted $173.7 million total. Opponents have raised $140.5 million, more than four times the $33.2 million raised by supporters.
- Proposition 42, which would prohibit certain new and retroactive taxes on personal assets, savings, and retirement holdings. It is essentially a counter to Prop 40 and has attracted another $172.7 million.

Notably, Google co-founder Sergey Brin contributed $102 million to the campaign opposing Proposition 40 and supporting Proposition 42.

Ballotpedia also reports that the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West contributed $32 million to the opposite sides of those campaigns.

Outside California, [Virginia](https://ballotpedia.org/Virginia%5F2026%5Fballot%5Fmeasures?ref=ivn.us) ranks second with $107.6 million raised, followed by [Missouri](https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri%5F2026%5Fballot%5Fmeasures?ref=ivn.us) ($67.9 million), [Colorado](https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado%5F2026%5Fballot%5Fmeasures?ref=ivn.us) ($43.1 million), and [Kansas](https://ballotpedia.org/Kansas%5F2026%5Fballot%5Fmeasures?ref=ivn.us) ($29.4 million).

## **The Price of Getting on the Ballot Has Never Been Higher**

The biggest takeaway from Ballotpedia's analysis for grassroots reform organizations isn’t the money spent persuading voters. It’s the money spent simply qualifying for the ballot.

A cost that is getting steeper each election cycle.

According to Ballotpedia, initiative campaigns spent a record $193.4 million on signature gathering in 2026, surpassing the previous record of $172.2 million in 2024.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/11/image-01294800-0db1-4da3-b5e1-461ffedec428.png)

On average, a successful petition drive cost $4.3 million compared to $3.25 million in 2024.

Once again California is a standout. Statewide campaigns spent $152.7 million collecting signatures, which is nearly 79% of the national total.

This highlights a growing challenge for political and election reform advocates without wealthy donors. Even when voters have the power to change laws directly, exercising that power requires millions of dollars before a single ballot is cast.

This is a reality that could prevent potential donors from committing before a campaign gets off the ground. It's a lot of money to gamble on something that could ultimately fail.

There are some exceptions. Ballotpedia identified five initiatives that qualified through volunteer signature-gathering efforts without reported petition-drive costs.

Still, the broader trend points to an uncomfortable reality about direct democracy in the US: 

***While the citizen initiative process was intended to give ordinary voters a way to drive policy change, getting an issue on the ballot is increasingly dependent on who can afford the small fortune needed to finance the effort.***

And these aren’t even the final numbers for 2026.