As votes continue to roll in, the lead opponent against Proposition 1 announced March 18 that they will revive their campaign after conceding just last week.
The change comes as a “razor-thin margin” persists, with the ballot measure leading by fewer than 20,000 votes out of 7.5 million cast, according to Californians Against Prop. 1 in a press release on Monday.
Amid reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom is fighting to save the measure by recruiting people to salvage disqualified ballots, opponents said they too will team up and help every ballot get counted. About 1.5 percent of mail ballots in recent primary elections were disqualified for issues such as missing a signature, according to the press release, with 300,000 ballots still uncounted in the current election.
“We don’t know if reviving rejected ballots will change the outcome of this election,” said director of Californians Against Prop. 1 Paul Simmons in the same announcement. “But if the governor thinks it might, we for sure aren’t going to let him have the field to himself.”
The ballot initiative would borrow $6.4 billion to develop 10,000 mental health treatment beds.
A product of one bill from the Senate and one from the Assembly and approved by the governor last year, the proposition calls for investing in “behavioral health housing” for those with mental health issues, alcoholism, drug addiction, and homelessness, according to an October 2023 press release by Mr. Newsom announcing it.
Most recent results from March 20 show the opposition falling further behind compared with last week, with the Yes tally at 50.2 percent or 3,597,131 votes compared with No at 49.8 percent or 3,568,148 votes. The nearly 29,000-vote gap has grown from a near tie on March 12, when the difference was less than 5,000 votes.
But with the large financial backing of the two-part ballot measure, plus support from Gov. Gavin Newsom, opponents at one point last week conceded. Now they have shifted gears, battling the governor to get as many votes counted as possible, with just two weeks left before results are finalized.
“We believe all ballots should be counted,” Mr. Simmons said. “We know that many Democrats voted against Prop. 1, so the governor’s effort is no slam dunk. If you’re a Republican or independent, we want you to know that your ballot might make the difference in this election. But the governor won’t help you. We will.”
Prop. 1 opponents since have designated their website prop1no.com to help voters confirm whether their vote was counted. The website lists needed documents specific to each county to help revive votes, they said.
Mr. Simmons said the split vote shows that California Democrats are evenly divided on the costly measure.
“The truth is, opposition to Prop. 1 is still substantial among Democrats, and it was rising at the end,” he said in the same press release. “The statewide vote is only as close as it is because Democrats were divided.”
Supporters of the proposition raised $26.7 million while those opposed raised just $1,000.
The measure, in part, would redirect funds from the 2004 Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)—a wealth tax also known as Prop. 63—to the state. It also authorizes $6.4 billion in bonds.
The act currently generates around $2 billion to $3 billion annually, with 95 percent going directly to county programs, but under the measure 5 percent of that would go to the state for mental health, drug, and alcohol treatment.
The proposition would increase state bond repayment costs by $310 million per year for 30 years, totaling $9.3 billion, according to the ballot measure.
Proponents argue a yes on the measure will expand services that target mental health and addiction, build permanent supportive housing, and help homeless veterans, according to arguments written on the ballot.
Ballots will be counted until April 5, and the secretary of state will certify the results on April 12.
