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The advantage has switched for Measure W, the proposed new half-cent sales tax countywide, which is now trailing at 50.07% No to 49.93% Yes as of the newest results update from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Alameda County Fire Department’s $90 million fire facilities bond proposal — on the ballot in unincorporated communities as Measure X — continued to see its Election Night lead slip, now down to 0.08% away from losing as of Tuesday.
Both measures appear to be coming down to the wire, as the county estimates having 9,453 eligible ballots left to process after Tuesday. Voter turnout in last week’s general election is nearly 80% of Alameda County’s 966,088 registered voters.
The current tally sees 349,649 votes against Measure W compared to 348,653 in favor of the new 0.5% sales tax — a margin of 996 votes.
The Yes on Measure W side has seen its slim lead since Election Night flip as county elections officials have continued tabulating eligible ballots.
The early returns had Measure W at 51.11% Yes to 48.89% No at the end of Nov. 3, but that edge has been chipped away in the following days. The lead dropped to 50.1% Yes on Sunday, ticked up slightly on Monday to 50.14% Yes before dropping to 50.07% No on Tuesday.
A proposal put on the ballot by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Measure W would establish a new half-cent sales tax countywide “to provide essential county services, including housing and services for those experiencing homelessness, mental health services, job training, social safety net and other general fund services,” according to the ballot question.
The new tax, which requires a simple majority to pass (50% plus one vote), would be in place for 10 years and generate an estimated $150 million per year.
The other ballot measure in the Tri-Valley that remains too close to call is Measure X, the ACFD bond measure to fund fire facility projects across unincorporated Alameda County — which is on the ballot for the second election in a row after narrowly failing in the March primary.
Measure X currently sits at 66.75% Yes (37,793 votes) to 33.25% No (18,828 votes), needing a two-thirds supermajority, or 66.67% in favor, to pass.
That represents a precarious drop compared to Election Night when the split stood at 68.16% Yes to 31.84% No. The measure was on the ballot in unincorporated communities (except Fairview), including parts of Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore outside of those cities’ jurisdictions.
It could be a case of deja vu for ACFD, which proposed the same $90 million bond measure in March only to see it fall 95 votes short of passing (it was on that ballot as Measure D).
In the primary election, ACFD’s Measure D started from trailing position in Election Night results before climbing very close too, but not surpassing, the two-thirds threshold at any point during the tabulation before finishing at 66.37% in favor.
The other local measure on Tri-Valley ballots, the Measure V unincorporated utility users tax extension, does not appear as dramatic this fall. Needing a simple majority to pass, Yes on Measure V stands at 69.11% Yes to 30.89% No.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated the margin for Measure W. The proposed half-cent sales tax measure is currently trailing at 50.07% No. The Weekly regrets the error.
Thank you for the close eye, John Mc. The story has been corrected.
On Measure W, based on the latest numbers, you have the provisional results the wrong way round:
https://www.acgov.org/rovresults/241/indexA.htm