Election:
Official Results
Yes votes:
2,652,766 (61.2%)
No votes:
1,679,049 (38.8%)
Proposition 28 would alter the California Constitution by reducing the total number of years that a California Senate or Assembly member may serve in legislature. Currently, legislators may serve 14 years total with a a maximum of six years in the State Assembly and eight years in the State Senate. Proposition 28 would limit members to 12 years in either house with no regard to whether the years were served in the Assembly or the Senate. Legislators who are in office when the initiative goes into effect would not be be affected by the new rules.
For more information on this proposition, including voter resources, in-depth analysis, and endorsements, please see the California Choices web site.
Pro
Proponents of Proposition 28 say that the measure will make the legislature more accountable. They claim that legislators that are looking ahead to future terms are not concentrating on their current responsibilities and that Proposition 28 will help remove the incentive to abuse existing term limits laws.
Con
Opponents of Proposition 28 claim that the initiative will actually lead to legislators serviging more years in office, not less. They claim that the text of the ballot measure is misleading and that its authors intend to trick voters into doing the opposite of what they intend.