Abstract

Direct democracy, particularly the initiative process, has become an important feature of the political landscape and influences the national agenda. California candidates for governor regularly sponsor and endorse measures that appear on the ballot with their candidacies. This article combines endorsement evidence with exit polling data from five California gubernatorial elections (1982-98) to examine the effects of ballot propositions on gubernatorial elections. In the period examined, voting for winning initiatives was positively associated with voting for winning candidates. Conservative candidates who allied themselves with winning ballot initiatives often benefited. Liberal candidates tended to support losing measures and liberal voters losing candidates.

Recommended Citation

Bucy, Erik P. and Ensley, Michael J. (2009) "Issue Benefactors or Issue Victims? Ballot Initiative Influence on the Vote for California Governor, 1982-1998," California Journal of Politics and Policy: Vol. 1 : Iss. 2, Article 12.
DOI: 10.2202/1944-4370.1010
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/cjpp/vol1/iss2/12