Voters in California rejected an initiative to get rid of the death penalty during Tuesday’s election.
The Proposition 34 ballot measure wanted to abolish capital punishment out of cost concerns and replace it with life in prison. All 720 prisoners on California’s death row—the largest in the United States—would have their terms switched to life imprisonment, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The proposition was backed and funded by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Supporters of the measure said that cutting out the death penalty from California’s prison systems would save the cash-strapped state $130 million.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 52 percent of voter in California said they would not do away with the death penalty.
Opponents of Prop 34 said that it would essentially allow convicted, hardened criminals to escape justice.
California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, said he “of course” voted for the measure, according to the Chronicle.
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