Know Before You Vote: Propositions 37, 38, 39
By Engage Tuolumne
Published: September 4, 2026
Last updated: September 4, 2026
Your Guide to California’s November 3 Ballot Propositions
In a series of articles over the next three months, Engage Tuolumne will publish information about the 14 Propositions appearing on the November 3 ballot.
Proposition 37: Create Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers of Qualified New Homes. Initiative Statute
What it does
- Creates a down payment assistance program under the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) to help first-time home buyers qualify for mortgages. Authorizes up to $25 billion in bonds to offer eligible buyers fixed-rate mortgages for up to 17% of the purchase price of a “qualified new home” (new construction or first sale of converted nonresidential property, priced below about $1 million–$1.5 million, depending on county, adjusted annually).
- Borrowers must be California residents for at least one year, occupy the home, earn less than twice the area’s median income, and pay at least 3% down.
- Requires homeowners to repay bonds through mortgage payments, not the State.
- The State would receive a share of ownership in the qualified home in return for contributing money toward the loan.
- Establishes rules for repayment when the home is sold or refinanced.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not forgive mortgages.
- Does not guarantee that every applicant will qualify.
- Does not eliminate existing first-time homebuyer programs.
Arguments in favor
- Makes homeownership more attainable.
- Helps first-time buyers compete in expensive housing markets.
- Builds more homes and creates good jobs.
A YES vote means: California would establish a shared-equity mortgage assistance program for eligible home buyers.
Arguments against
- State government should not be involved in the mortgage lending market.
- Does not increase the housing supply.
- Critics question long-term costs.
A NO vote means: No new statewide shared-equity mortgage assistance program would be created.
Who supports it
- California Democratic Party
- Xavier Becerra
- California Association of Realtors
- California Conference of Carpenters
- California Coalition of Homeownership
Who opposes it
- Reform California
Sources
- “Proposition 37: Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers,” California Secretary of State.
- “Proposition 37: Create low-cost mortgages for home buyers,” CalMatters.
- “California Proposition 37, Second Mortgage Home Buyer Program and Revenue Bond Initiative (2026),” Ballotpedia.
Proposition 38: Authorizes Bonds for Immunology Medical Research. Initiative Statute.
What it does
- Authorizes $8.4 billion in state general obligation bonds for immunology and Immunotherapy research (technologies that use a body’s immune system to treat disease), with half dedicated to cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Allocates funds equally between a single University of California-affiliated nonprofit medical research institute and research grants for public or nonprofit universities and institutions.
- Requires funding recipients to sell technology and drugs derived from research in California for 20% below the national average price.
- Appropriates money from the General Fund to repay bonds, with the General Fund to receive 10% of licensing royalties until bonds are repaid.
- Continues funding for research into treatment for diseases and injuries.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not guarantee medical breakthroughs.
- Does not directly change health insurance coverage.
- Does not raise taxes directly, although bonds are repaid with state revenues.
Arguments in favor
- Supports research into serious diseases.
- Helps maintain California’s biotechnology leadership.
- May create research and healthcare jobs.
A YES vote means: California would issue bonds to continue funding medical research.
Arguments against
- Adds to state debt
- Research outcomes are uncertain.
- Interest costs increase total taxpayer expense.
- A CalMatters analysis shows that the ballot language criteria were tailored in a way that very likely excludes all but one institute in the entire state: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, whose prominent donor and co-founder is the chief backer of the proposition. The analysis raises the question of why the framers took such care to construct a highly specific set of criteria that seemingly points to a single eligible institute without naming it in the bond (2).
A NO vote means: The additional bond funding would not be authorized.
Who supports it
- YES on the California Immunology Research & Cures Initiative
- ALS Association
- Alzheimer’s Association
- American Nurses Association of California
- California Black Health Network
- Michelson Center for Public Policy
- Parkinson Association of Northern California
- Reform California
- Democratic Party of California
Who opposes it
- Some taxpayer advocacy organizations
- Fiscal conservatives
Sources
- “Proposition Authorizes Bonds for Immunology Medical Research. Initiative Statute,” California Secretary of State.
- Mikhail Zinshteyn,“This CA proposition will send $4 billion to a single nonprofit. Who’s behind it?,” CalMatters, August 3, 2026.
- “California Proposition 38, Immunology and Immunotherapy Research Funding Initiative (2026),” Ballotpedia.
Proposition 39: Prohibits Citizens from Voting Unless They Present Government-issued Identification. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
What it does
- Prohibits voting by mail unless a voter designates a government-issued identification number for their voter registration.
- Invalidates mail ballots if envelope does not include last four digits of a government-issued identification number matching the number designated in the voter’s registration (e.g., if a voter designates a Social Security number for registration, but provides a driver’s license number on the envelope, their ballot would not count).
- Prohibits voting in person without presenting government-issued identification.
- Requires elections officials to annually report the percentage of each county’s voters whose citizenship status they have verified.
- Establishes acceptable forms of voter ID and procedures for voters without identification.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not change voter registration requirements.
- Does not automatically prevent eligible voters from voting if they meet alternative procedures.
- Does not affect citizenship requirements for voting.
Arguments in favor
- Standardizes voter verification.
- Supporters say it improves election security.
- Voter ID increases confidence in elections and helps prevent voter fraud.
- Many other states have similar requirements.
A YES vote means: California would require voter identification for most in-person voting.
Arguments against
- May create barriers for voters without qualifying identification.
- May make it harder for eligible voters without a driver’s license or other supporting documents to vote.
- Will disproportionately affect those with disabilities, who are low-income, or have recently moved.
- Could expose voters’ sensitive personal information.
- Would create new ways to reject eligible ballots.
- Wrongly target voters through error-prone citizenship checks.
- Implementing new voting requirements would cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
A NO vote means: California’s current voter identification rules remain in effect.
Who supports it
- Californians for Voter ID
- California Republican Party
- Reform California
Who opposes it
- Democratic Party of California
- Common Cause
- League of Women Voters of California
- California Nurses Association
- California School Employees Association
- California Teachers Association
- SEIU California State Council
- ACLU of Northern California
- ACLU of Southern California
- Asian Law Caucus
- California Donor Table
- Courage California
- Disability Rights California
- Equality California
- Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Sources
- “Proposition 39: Prohibits Citizens from Voting Unless They Present Government-issued Identification—Initiative Constitutional Amendment,” California Secretary of State.
- “Proposition 39: Require identification for voting,” CalMatters.
- “California Proposition 39: Voter Identification, Citizenship Verification, and Registered Voter List Administration Initiative (2026),” Ballotpedia.