California campaigns raise a record $798.9 million, the most in state history
Middleton, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - October 30, 2026) - Campaigns for and against the 164 statewide ballot measures in 2026 have raised more than $1.2 billion nationwide, according to new Ballotpedia analyses of campaign finance and signature-gathering costs. That compares with $1.2 million raised in 2024 throughout the entire election cycle. California campaigns alone raised $798.9 million, the most for any election cycle in the state's history.
Where the money is going
As of Oct. 26, 2026, ballot measure campaigns raised the most in these five states:
- California: Campaigns for and against 14 measures raised $798.9 million, or more than 66% of the 2026 nationwide total.
- That's the most raised for ballot measures in any single election cycle in California, surpassing the previous record of $763.7 million in 2020. Campaigns for and against Proposition 40, a one-time wealth tax, and two competing measures, Propositions 41 and 42, account for about 45% of the state's total.
- Virginia: Campaigns on four measures raised $107.6 million (8.9%).
- Missouri: Campaigns on nine measures raised $67.9 million (5.6%).
- Colorado: Campaigns on 14 measures raised $43.1 million (3.6%).
- Kansas: Campaigns on two measures raised $29.4 million (2.4%).
The most expensive measures
The two most expensive ballot measures of 2026 are both in California:
- Proposition 40: $173.7 million raised. The measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on accumulated wealth to fund state health care, food assistance, and public education programs. Supporters raised $33.2 million, and opponents raised $140.5 million.
- Proposition 42: $172.7 million raised. The measure would ban new taxes on retirement funds, personal assets, and savings beginning Jan. 1, 2026, and prohibit certain retroactive taxes. Supporters raised $138.5 million, and opponents raised $34.2 million.
Signature gathering hits a record
Before an initiative can appear on the ballot, its supporters must collect enough voter signatures to qualify. In 2026, initiative campaigns spent a national record of $193.4 million on signature drives, up from $172.2 million in 2024. That's about 16% of all money raised by ballot measure campaigns this year. Ballotpedia has tracked signature costs since 2010.
Ballotpedia measures the cost of a petition drive in two ways. The total cost is the amount spent to gather enough signatures to qualify an initiative for the ballot. The cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) is the total amount spent divided by the number of signatures required to qualify the measure, allowing comparison across states with different requirements. For example, a campaign that spends $1 million in a state requiring 100,000 signatures has a CPRS of $10. If 200,000 signatures were required, the CPRS would be $5.
Signature-gathering rules vary across the 26 states that allow citizen-initiated ballot measures, including the number of signatures needed, the length of circulation periods, and regulations for signature gatherers.
Read the full analyses
Voters can see every statewide measure on their ballot, along with what each would do and who supports and opposes it, in Ballotpedia's Ballot Measure Hub.
About Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, is the nation's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. And as voters increasingly turn to search engines and AI to learn who and what is on their ballot, independent research ranks Ballotpedia among the sources those tools cite most often. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of volunteers into an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. A nonprofit dedicated to an educated, engaged electorate and a strong, healthy democracy, Ballotpedia employs professional editorial staff who research, write, and verify its content, and offers free access to 750,000+ articles at Ballotpedia.org.
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Contact: Carley Allensworth
October 30, 2026 Public Relations Manager
carley.allensworth@ballotpedia.org
U.S. (618) 553-1830
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/321744
