Vice President Kamala Harris declined Sunday to say how she voted on Proposition 36, a California ballot initiative that would increase penalties for people convicted of shoplifting and drug offenses.
“I’m not going to talk about the vote on that because, quite frankly, it’s the Sunday before the election and I’m not going to try to create an endorsement for it one way or the other,” she told reporters in Detroit when asked about the proposal.
Harris, a former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, spoke about casting her vote, saying, “I just filled out my mail-in ballot” and sent it to California, her home state.
Proposition 36 would increase penalties for certain theft and drug crimes by reclassifying them as felonies instead of misdemeanors. It would also require courts to warn people who sell illegal substances that they could be charged with murder if the substance kills someone.
The measure would amend parts of Proposition 47, a controversial initiative approved by California voters in 2014 to ease prison overcrowding by reducing penalties for some crimes.
Proposition 36’s supporters include district attorneys, Republican lawmakers and major retailers like Walmart, who have spoken out against a Covid-era surge in shoplifting that declined last year. But it also has the support of a handful of Democratic mayors, including San Francisco’s London Breed, who is facing a tough reelection campaign.
Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, have said the proposal would disproportionately incarcerate poor people and those with substance abuse problems.
Throughout her political career, Harris has tried to strike a balance between tough prosecutor and progressive politician.
Harris began her presidential campaign by touting her career as a prosecutor, hoping to contrast her record with former President Donald Trump’s many criminal cases.
As prosecutor, Harris took what she called a “smart on crime” approach to law enforcement. It included launching a program to funnel nonviolent offenders into vocational training and away from prison and releasing statewide criminal justice data in an effort to increase government accountability.
Republicans have tried to tie crime to immigration this election cycle, using Harris’ time as prosecutor and attorney general in a border state as a broader attack on how Democrats have handled crime nationwide.
On the other hand, progressive and civil rights activists have criticized some of her policies during her time as California’s top law enforcement officer, which caused her to lose some supporters when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 2019.