California Voters Reject Proposition 43

The measure would have required a two-thirds vote to approve citizen-proposed local tax increases, raising the bar for local tax approvals.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in City Hall

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single deep red ballot-box silhouette on a cream field, evoking the rejected California tax measure. — California voters rejected Proposition 43, a measure that would have required a two-thirds vote to approve citizen-proposed local tax increases. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should local tax increases in your community require a two-thirds voter majority to pass?

California voters rejected Proposition 43, which would have raised the voting threshold for approving local tax measures. The Associated Press projected the result on November 8, 2026.

Why it matters

The vote determines whether local tax increases proposed by citizens will continue to need only a simple majority, rather than the two-thirds threshold that applies to taxes introduced by local governments. Supporters argued court rulings created a loophole that the measure would have closed.

Proposition 43 would have set local citizen-proposed tax measures at a 66.6% approval threshold, up from a simple majority under current law. Voter margins and turnout were not reported in the available details.

The players

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

A California taxpayer advocacy group that has long supported limits on property and local tax increases and backed Proposition 43.

California Taxpayers Association

A business-oriented tax policy group that supported Proposition 43's effort to restore the two-thirds vote requirement for local taxes.

California Professional Firefighters

A union representing firefighters across California that opposed Proposition 43 as a constraint on local public safety funding.

California Federation of Teachers

A statewide teachers' union that opposed Proposition 43 over its potential impact on school funding.

Nurse Alliance of SEIU CA

A nurses' organization affiliated with the Service Employees International Union in California that opposed Proposition 43.

The details

Proposition 43 was intended to restore the two-thirds vote requirement for local special taxes, which supporters said court rulings had weakened. Supporters included the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California Taxpayers Association, while critics included California Professional Firefighters, the California Federation of Teachers and the Nurse Alliance of SEIU CA.

1978: Proposition 13 passed, overhauling California's property tax system and establishing the two-thirds threshold for state and local special taxes.
November 8, 2026: The Associated Press projected that California voters rejected Proposition 43.

Political Context

Proposition 43 sought to reinforce the two-thirds voter approval standard set by Proposition 13 in 1978, which supporters said had been weakened by court rulings allowing citizen-proposed local taxes to pass by simple majority. Opponents, including public safety and education unions, argued that a higher threshold would limit funding for public services.

The result keeps the current rules in place, so citizen-proposed local tax measures in California still pass with a simple majority rather than two-thirds. Residents will continue to see local tax proposals decided at the lower threshold.

The takeaway

The Proposition 43 result leaves the approval threshold for citizen-proposed local taxes unchanged, a question that continues to divide taxpayer groups and public employee unions in California.