Elections were held in California on November 8, 2016, with primary elections being held on June 7, 2016. In addition to the U.S. presidential race, California voters elected one member to the United States Senate, all of California's seats to the House of Representatives, all of the seats of the State Assembly, and all odd-numbered seats of the State Senate.
Pursuant to Proposition 14 passed in 2010, California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary for almost all races, with the presidential primary races being the notable exception. Under the nonpartisan blanket primary system, all the candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once during the primary. The candidates receiving the most and second-most votes in the primary election then become the contestants in the general election.
President of the United States
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
United States Senate
Under California's nonpartisan blanket primary law, passed as California Proposition 14 (2010), all candidates for Senate appear on the ballot, regardless of party. Members of any party may vote for any candidate, with the top two vote getters moving on to the general election. Incumbent Barbara Boxer did not seek re-election, which makes this the first open Senate seat election in 24 years in California.
United States House of Representatives
State Senate
State Assembly
Ballot Propositions June primary election Since the passage of a law in November 2011, state primary elections may only feature propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature.
Proposition 50
The California Suspension of Legislators Amendment, also known as Proposition 50, would amend the state constitution to require a two-thirds vote in the respective chamber of the state legislature to suspend a state senator or assembly member and also withhold the salaries and benefits of the suspended legislator.
November general election The number of propositions in this election was significantly larger than previous elections. The increase has been attributed to the relatively low number of signatures required for ballot placement for this election. The number of signatures required for ballot placement is a percentage of the turnout in the previous election. Since the turnout in the November 2014 elections was low, the number of signatures required for ballot placement in 2016 was 365,880, whereas the typical requirement is well over half a million signatures. +2016 California ballot propositions (November)NameDescriptionVotesTypeYes%No%Proposition 51Issues $9 billion in bonds to fund improvement and construction of school facilities for K-12 schools and community colleges. 7,516,142 55.186,104,29444.82 Citizen-initiated state statuteProposition 52Requires a two-thirds vote in the state legislature to change laws that impose fees on hospitals for purpose of obtaining federal Medi-Cal matching funds. 9,427,714 70.074,026,71029.93 Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statuteProposition 53Requires voter approval before the state could issue more than $2 billion in public infrastructure bonds.6,508,90949.42 6,660,555 50.58 Citizen-initiated constitutional amendmentProposition 54Prohibits the legislature from passing any bill until it has been in print and published on the internet for 72 hours prior to the vote. 8,607,266 65.374,559,90334.63 Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statuteProposition 55Supports extending the personal income tax increases on incomes over $250,000 approved in 2012 for 12 years in order to fund education and healthcare. 8,594,273 63.274,988,32936.73 Citizen-initiated constitutional amendmentProposition 56Increases the cigarette tax by $2 per pack with equivalent increases on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes containing nicotine. 8,980,448 64.434,957,99435.57Proposition 57Increases access to parole for people convicted of nonviolent felonies and modifies how juvenile defendants can be tried as adults. 8,790,723 64.464,847,35435.54 Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statuteProposition 58Repeals most of the Proposition 227 (1998), thus effectively allowing non-English languages to be used in public educational instruction. 9,994,454 73.524,847,35426.48 Legislatively referred state statuteProposition 59Asks voters if they want California to work towards overturning the Citizens United ruling. 6,845,943 53.186,027,08446.82 Advisory questionProposition 60Mandates the use of condoms in pornographic films.6,168,38846.33 7,146,039 53.67 Citizen-initiated state statuteProposition 61Regulates drug prices by requiring state agencies to pay no more than the Department of Veterans Affairs pays for prescription drugs.6,254,34246.80 7,109,642 53.20Proposition 62Repeals the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment and forced labor without possibility of parole.6,361,78846.85 7,218,625 53.15Proposition 63Supports prohibiting the possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines (more than 10 rounds) and requiring certain individuals to pass a background check in order to purchase ammunition. 8,663,159 63.085,070,77236.92Proposition 64Legalizes recreational marijuana for persons aged 21 and older in the state. 7,979,041 57.135,987,02042.87Proposition 65Supports redirecting money collected from the sale of carry-out bags by grocery or other retail stores to a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board.6,222,54746.10 7,276,478 53.90Proposition 66Limits death penalty appeals and length of time for death penalty review, and invalidates Proposition 62 if passed by a larger proportion of the popular vote. 6,626,159 51.136,333,73148.87Proposition 67Supports upholding the contested legislation banning certain plastic bags that was enacted by the state legislature as Senate Bill 270. 7,228,900 53.276,340,32246.73 Veto ReferendumSource: California Secretary of State
References
External links Statewide Election Results from the California Secretary of State's Elections Division 2016 Primary Election 2016 General Election