( CNN ) -- California 's vote on a controversial cigarette tax remained too close to call Wednesday morning , although votes counted so far suggest it was narrowly rejected . With all precincts reporting , the tally was 50.8 % against the proposal and 49.2 % in support of it , according to the California Secretary of State website . But the vote was listed as a `` close contest '' with no final result . Counties have 28 days to count every vote-by-mail , provisional and damaged ballot , the secretary of state 's office said . With nearly 3.9 million votes cast in precincts , the `` no '' votes were ahead by only about 63,000 . Proposition 29 , would raise about $ 735 million a year . About three-quarters of the money raised would go to cancer research . `` The American Cancer Society , the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association wrote the initiative carefully , '' Lori Bremner of the American Cancer Society told CNN 's `` Sanjay Gupta MD '' last week . `` The money is going to be invested in cancer research here in California and on tobacco prevention and cessation programs to protect kids and reduce smoking here in California . '' Studies show the tax would help decrease smoking and save lives , she said . Opponents slammed the tax as a misguided burden in an already tough economy . `` What we 're seeing in the state of California is a lot of frustration on the part of our citizenry that it 's just another tax , '' said Dr. Marcy Zwelling , a general practitioner . The tax , she said in an interview with CNN , `` goes to build bigger bureaucracy , build business , build buildings , not necessarily to go to cancer research . '' The opposition in California was fueled by a huge influx of cash from big tobacco companies . About $ 47 million was raised in efforts -- including TV advertising -- to defeat `` Prop . 29 , '' including $ 27.5 million from Philip Morris and $ 11 million from R.J. Reynolds , according to figures from MapLight , a nonpartisan research firm . About $ 12 million was raised in support of the initiative , including $ 8.5 million from the American Cancer Society and $ 1.5 million from the Lance Armstrong Foundation , known as Livestrong . Armstrong himself appeared in ads urging people to `` vote yes on 29 . '' ( Gupta , CNN chief medical correspondent , is a board member of the foundation . ) There is already an 87-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes in California . According to California 's official voter guide , the health groups behind Prop . 29 said it would `` save lives , stop kids from smoking , and fund cancer research , '' while those opposed said the initiative `` does n't require revenue be spent in California to create jobs or fund schools . '' Bremner insisted the campaign against Prop . 29 traded in `` deceptions . '' The biggest misconception is that the money collected `` will be somehow wasted or used otherwise , '' she said . But Zwelling said it would heavily affect poorer Americans , who are more likely to smoke . And other efforts , including the state 's ban on smoking in public places , have succeeded at pushing people to quit smoking , she said . John Seffrin , CEO of the American Cancer Society , said if the bill passed , `` It would make California the second-largest funder of cancer research after the ( National Cancer Institute ) in the entire country . '' Some grant proposals that currently go unfunded would find a source of revenue , he said . `` So , it 's a tremendous opportunity for California to do the right thing -- not only for California , but for the whole world . '' CNN 's Caleb Hellerman , Nadia Kounang and Josh Levs contributed to this report .
NEW : The vote is a `` close contest , '' the California secretary of state 's office says . NEW : Counties have 28 days to count mail-in , provisional , and damaged ballots . -- A federal judge in Florida has ordered that all counties across the country must begin counting votes by hand within two weeks after Election Day. The law would add $ 1 to California 's 87-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes .