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Comment by danhak | Hacker News Reader

Important note on Prop 66, which PG unfortunately glossed over: it will override 62 if it passes with more yes votes than the other measure.

Therefore, if you're opposed to the death penalty and intend to vote yes on both measures--reasoning, for instance, that the reforms on 66 such as expedited appeals for death row inmates are an improvement regardless of whether 62 passes--you're undermining your own vote.

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> a yes vote on 66 overrides a yes vote on 62

That's not entirely true. In the event that both propositions pass, whichever proposition received more yes votes will supersede the other https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_66,_Death_Pen...

Good point, I should've been more precise. Edited the comment accordingly.

Generally, I imagine that anti-death-penalty voters will vote Yes on 66 and No on 62 and vice versa for pro-death-penalty voters. However, it's possible that a voter is simply motivated to clear death row by any means necessary because of all the extra costs it involves. Maintaining death row is expensive.

In that case, voting Yes on both makes sense. Either death row will get cleared out by getting rid of the death penalty or it will get cleared out by killing them faster. Either way, it's a cost savings. I find that logic to be cold and impersonal, but I imagine there are plenty of people who think that way.

I find it annoying as a California voter that both of these made it onto the ballot at the same time. It seems to make more sense to me to FIRST vote on whether or not the death penalty should be repealed before voting on whether or not to expedite the process.

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