The Associated Press has called the results of California’s Proposition 29 and is declaring that the measure will go down in defeat.

In a story published at 3:27 PM EDT on Friday, the AP reports that “the measure failed by 50.3 percent to 49.7 with about 5 million votes cast, The Associated Press determined Friday. The measure was losing by about 27,000 votes with 150,000 ballots remaining to be counted; too few for the `yes’ side to pull ahead.”

As of 9:41 AM PDT on Friday, the vote was 50.3% opposing the measure and 49.7% in favor, with vote totals of 2,518,344 and 2,490,456, respectively.

County elections officials have until July 6 to finalize their election results and submit those numbers to Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who has until July 13 to certify the election. With the close margins, there is significant speculation that a recount will be requested, which could delay a final decision.

UPDATE: The Sacramento Bee is reporting that the Yes on 29 campaign has conceded the election following the latest round of mail-in ballot counting, though they are promising to be back with other similar measures.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.