1908 California Amendment 14

Referendum increasing legislative salaries November 3, 1908 California 1846 92,558 92,556 1908 California Amendment 14 results map by county.svg County results Yes #47729E 70–80% #7D9CBB 60–70% #B6C8D9 50–60% No #5D5D2D 80–90% #8B8B54 70–80% #BCBC83 60–70% #DEDEBD 50–60% 1908 California Amendment 14 was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of California to increase the salaries of governor from $6,000 to $10,000, lieutenant governor from $10 per legislative day to $4,000 per year, attorney general from $3,000 to $6,000, and other positionsSecretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, and Surveyor-General. from $3,000 to $5,000.California SCA 14, Increase State Officers' Salaries Amendment (1908) https://ballotpedia.org/California_SCA_14,_Increase_State_Officers%27_Salaries_Amendment_(1908) live https://web.archive.org/web/20250617164335/https://ballotpedia.org/California_SCA_14,_Increase_State_Officers'_Salaries_Amendment_(1908) June 17, 2025 January 13, 2026 Ballotpedia The ballot measure succeeded by just two votes, after an investigation uncovered that 110 votes had been incorrectly reported. Background Senate Constitutional Amendment No. 14 was the resolution that placed the measure on the ballot. It was adopted by the legislature on March 14, 1907.October 29, 1908 Election Proclamation https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=MJ19081029.2.27 January 13, 2026 California Digital Newspaper Collection Results The following table details the results by county:1968 Statement of vote https://archive.org/details/statementofvo19081922cali/page/n13/mode/2up January 13, 2026 Internet Archive CountyYesNo#%#%Alameda11,77068.385,44331.62Alpine1058.82741.18Amador30939.4147560.59Butte1,14943.311,50456.69Calaveras36844.0246855.98Colusa35344.4044255.60Contra Costa1,48465.6377734.37Del Norte8740.8512659.15El Dorado26826.8573073.15Fresno2,15644.802,65755.20Glenn20230.1546869.85Humboldt75628.381,90871.62Imperial19732.6240767.38Inyo22746.0426653.96Kern79650.5477949.46Kings37736.5765463.43Lake23537.9038562.10Lassen13831.9429468.06Los Angeles15,49540.0323,21259.97Madera25045.5429954.46Marin1,46171.4858328.52Mariposa13244.5916455.41Mendocino60434.631,14065.37Merced43450.7042249.30Modoc8820.0535179.95Mono6454.245445.76Monterey96053.2784246.73Napa87752.1180647.89Nevada75041.571,05458.43Orange58419.552,40380.45Placer75642.351,02957.65Plumas23555.0419244.96Riverside98239.661,49460.34Sacramento2,35948.992,45651.01San Benito28937.8847462.12San Bernardino1,65537.292,78362.71San Diego1,67333.433,33166.57San Francisco25,14069.4711,04930.53San Joaquin1,71744.522,14055.48San Luis Obispo60035.991,06764.01San Mateo1,37872.2253027.78Santa Barbara99747.861,08652.14Santa Clara2,63048.552,78751.45Santa Cruz1,28647.401,42752.60Shasta63939.4997960.51Sierra18845.3022754.70Siskiyou77155.9160844.09Solano93945.011,14754.99Sonoma1,98845.702,36254.30Stanislaus63642.8984757.11Sutter22530.7050869.30Tehama27825.7680174.24Trinity10640.6115559.39Tulare81435.481,48064.52Tuolumne35242.0548557.95Ventura48940.8970759.11Yolo39532.0183967.99Yuba46050.7744649.23Total92,55850.000592,55649.9995 Aftermath The measure was initially defeated by 108 votes. However, W. H. Govan, a statistician who was working in the Secretary of State's office, felt unsatisfied with the returns that had been provided for Sacramento County. Govan had compared the results from the county election commissioners and those published in the City of Sacramento, and found, in at least two instances, errors in the reporting. He believed that the results from the sixteenth precinct of the second district were incorrect, as he personally knew more than 24 men who had voted in favor of the measure, and the official returns showed 24 in favor and 107 against. After the District Attorney advised that the voting machine be opened, 124 votes were found in favor, and 107 were against. This matched the report published in Sacramento, and it gained the amendment 100 votes.December 17, 1908 Amendment Wins by 2-Vote Margin https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune-1908-california-amendment-14/202011595/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260720041011/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune-1908-california-amendment-14/202011595/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=r4Dp9Yg5YrqrHyi0Gf5r._IxNLiuDN3S5X.OjODwPiU-1784520611-1.0.1.1-SgpyvGeTcCGBq1Y.Vtb1Kt0SxR.p83kNyGL7_2ItpH4 July 20, 2026 January 13, 2026 The Telegram Newspapers.com The voting machine that had been used for the thirteenth precinct of the second district was then opened. Official returns had showed that the amendment had been defeated within the precinct, with 27 in favor and 51 against. In contrast, the Sacramento report showed that it had been defeated, but by a narrower margin of 37 to 51. The voting machine's results matched the report, meaning the measure had gained another 10 votes. This left the amendment with a winning margin of two votes. References Notes Category:1908 in California Category:1908 California elections Category:1908 referendums Category:Referendums in the United States