Measure R — the $260 million Manteca Unified bond issue — was trailing in initial ballot counting Tuesday evening.
As of 11 p.m. with only the initial wave of “vote by mail” ballots counted Measure R was being rejected by a margin of 52.05 percent to 47.95 percent or 3,872 no votes to 3,567 yes votes. No polling place ballots had been counted while the mail-in ballots are only a portion of what were cast.
“San Joaquin County was fully prepared for today’s election where we witnessed tremendous voter enthusiasm due to a presidential primary race, scores of candidates seeking local, state and federal office, a statewide proposition and a host of local measures up for a vote,” noted Melinda Dubroff, San Joaquin County Registrar of voters. “We are happy to report things ran smoothly today - from Vote-by-Mail, to Drive Up Democracy!, to Election Day voting. Polls opened right on time at 7 a.m. and we saw a steady stream of voters throughout the day coming in to vote in person – or to drop off a mail-in (absentee) ballot at one of our 189 polling places and 4 Voter Service Centers.”
Our new voting technology, including the Touch Writer and the Poll Pad, performed well and was well-received by voters and election workers alike. I want to thank the 1,400 poll workers who dedicated their time and effort to ensure every vote could be cast, counted and verified. The ballot counting from today's election is underway, but voters must be patient because the results are not certified until completion of the canvass no later than April 2, 2020.”
The Measure R bond requires 55 percent of votes cast to be in the affirmative to be approved. It will impose a tax of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. That means if your home has an assessed value under Proposition 13 of $300,000, you would pay an additional $180 a year in taxes.
The district has identified structural and maintenance needs to meet basic safety and operational standards such as electrical wiring for tech heavy 21st century classrooms as well as making sure the taxpayers’ investment in school facilities is protected is an issue at all 32 Manteca Unified school sites. Overall the current need to upgrade classrooms and support facilities such as gyms, locker rooms, libraries, cafeterias, and restrooms comes in at $427 million
Voters authorized Measure G in November 2014 for $159 million. Money from those bonds has updated Lincoln, Shasta, Sequoia, Lathrop, and Golden West elementary schools. Projects using the bond money are now in the process of moving forward at Manteca High, East Union High, and Sierra High as well as New Haven, Nile Garden, New Haven, and French Camp elementary schools. Design of the third phase and what schools will be addressed using what bond money remains is now underway.
Progress counts on voting by mail ballots that have to be crossed check with signatures are scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 5; Tuesday, March 10; and Thursday, March 12.
The March 10 numbers will also include a raw count of the number of unprocessed ballots left to be counted.
Mail-in ballots and provisional ballots are then expected to take another two or so weeks to count with updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays through March 30.
Election results are posted on San Joaquin County’s website at sjcrov.org for unofficial election night results.
The final results are certificated on Thursday, April 2.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
