About the vote count
As you watch these results, keep in mind:
- There more more than 22.6 million registered voters in California.
- In 2020, the last presidential election, more than 16.1 million Californians cast a ballot.
Get full results:
Keep in mind that in tight races the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after Election Day. This is normal. Here's why.
In California, ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 5 are counted toward the results as long as they arrive within seven days of the election. The California Secretary of State's Office is scheduled to certify the final vote on Dec. 13.
What is at stake in this race
Since 2009, a Managed Care Organization Provider Tax has raised revenue off of the health-care management companies that provide the bulk of Medi-Cal services. (Medi-Cal provides health care for low-income residents; it's the state's Medicaid system.) The tax generates billions of dollars each year and increases the amount of federal matching funds that come to state coffers to pay for Medi-Cal. The tax has been approved by the state legislature repeatedly, and the current renewal expires in 2026.
Proposition 35 is an effort to make that tax permanent and create dedicated funding for some Medi-Cal services.
Why this race mattered
Many hospitals serve indigent and low-income populations that can pay very little or nothing at all for the health care they receive. Hospitals must absorb those costs.
The Managed Care Organization Provider tax exists to close that gap. Prop. 35 would continue the tax but also direct more money from that tax specifically into Medi-Cal, which means more money for providers and less money for the state's general fund.
Prop. 35 supporters say the measure’s changes would improve health care for low-income residents. Opponents, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, say it is another example of ballot box budgeting — a term to describe a state measure that locks up spending and takes flexibility away from legislators during the budget cycle.