DETROIT — Vice President Kamala Harris He refused to say how he voted on Sunday important voting measure In his home state of California, this would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years.

Harris addressed a question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan. He also confirmed that a mail-in ballot sent two days before Election Day was “on its way to California.”

“I’m not going to talk about the vote on this. Because, quite frankly, it’s the Sunday before the election and I’m not looking to create endorsements one way or another,” said Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator before being elected vice president in 2020 he said. .

The Democratic presidential candidate’s decision not to take a public position on the high-profile initiative could leave him open to criticism from Republican Donald Trump and some left-leaning voters for being soft on crime. speaking out forcefully against what they perceive as brutal crime-fighting efforts.

If approved, the initiative would make shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It would also give judges the power to order treatment for people with multiple drug charges.

Supporters said the initiative was needed to close loopholes in existing laws that make it difficult for law enforcement to punish thieves and drug dealers.

Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately incarcerate poor people and those with substance abuse problems and target drug-using ringleaders instead. recruiting large groups of people to steal products they can resell online.

California’s approach to crime is a central issue this election cycle.

Beyond the ballot measure, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is also up for election. a tough re-election fight It’s against opponents who say he’s letting the city get out of control.

The moderate Democratic mayor faces four primary challengers on the Nov. 5 ballot, all Democrats, who say Breed has wasted his six years in office. They say you let San Francisco descend into chaos and blamed others for his inability to curb homelessness and instability street behaviorMeanwhile, businesses that were subject to theft asked for help.

Meanwhile, Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price faces a recall election and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon He is running against an opponent who is critical of the incumbent government’s progressive approach to crime and punishment.

Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles are seeing a steady increase in burglaries between 2021 and 2022, according to a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Shoplifting rates statewide increased over the same period but were still below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with commercial thefts and robberies becoming more common in urban counties, the study says.

In the final days of the 2024 campaign, Harris is urging Americans in battleground states to make a voting plan to get themselves, their friends and loved ones to the polls.

But the vice president and his campaign team had avoided talking in detail about when he would vote until his remarks Sunday, dodging questions about how he would vote under the California measure.

He suggested to reporters last month: would reveal its position on the ballot paper.

“I haven’t voted yet and I haven’t actually read it yet,” Harris told reporters at the end of her campaign stop in Detroit on Oct. 16. “But I’ll let you know.”

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Madhani reported from Washington.