First, the elections projections maps looked like this:
Many people were reminding everyone on Twitter that the presidential election is too early too call in many states, though the President himself pretended otherwise.
Despite the anxiety, some people seemed to be having a good time, bringing joy to the polls:
And a reminder that voting is just one act among many acts of civic engagement, with the quest for true equality and justice.
Some Early Results*:
More than 80 Percent of Alameda County Voters Choose Biden/Harris
While the rest of the country, or at least a dozen states, have nail-bitingly close calls between the Biden/Harris and Trump/Pence ticket, it’s not surprising that Alameda County overwhelmingly voted for Biden/Harris. Biden/Harris received nearly 82 percent of the vote, while Trump/Pence received 16 percent.
In addition, Alameda County voters are bucking the trend against the rest of CA voters on several key CA propositions including about taxing commercial properties, affirmative action, and proposition 22, funded by Uber and Lyft.
Measure QQ, the Youth Vote, Leading By Wide Margin
In Oakland, supporters of Measure QQ called the race on the ballot measure that would allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote for their local school board members, with 67 percent of voters approving it.
Oakland Voters Want More Police Oversight (Measure S1)
Passing by an even wider margin is Measure S1, giving the city’s Police Commission more power, with about 81 percent voting “yes.”
Council and School Board Races Too Close to Call
The council and school board races are too close to call. Ranked choice voting will kick in, and results will be released later.
However, here are the leaders so far: Carroll Fife (district 3), Dan Kalb (district 1), Noel Gallo (district 5), Treva Reid (district 7), and Rebecca Kaplan (at-large). Kalb and Gallo are incumbents, and Reid is the daughter of Larry Reid, the current Councilmember of district 7. Kaplan’s (incumbent) race is the closest, so far receiving about 49 percent of 1st choice votes, while Derreck Johnson is receiving 42 percent.
$735 Million OUSD School Bond Popular (Measure Y)
OUSD School Bond is passing with 77 percent of voters saying “yes,” meaning the school district will receive $735 million in bond money to fix up buildings, infrastructure, and more.
Oakland Ok’s Increasing Fine Limits for City Code Violations (Measure RR)
Another ballot measure that seems to be passing is Measure RR, which allows the city to increase fine limits from $1,000 max. About 60 percent of voters are saying “yes” to this measure.
*Unofficial results; not all votes have been counted.
Momo Chang is a freelance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the Oakland Voices Co-Director. Her work focuses on healthcare, immigration, education, Asian American communities, food and culture. She is a former staff writer at the Oakland Tribune. Momo has received journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for investigative reporting and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. Her work has appeared in the East Bay Express, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, and The New York Times. Momo is primarily a print journalist who also produces audio and visual stories for documentary film and radio. She is a Senior Contributing Editor for Hyphen and formerly the Content Manager at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
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