SALINAS VALLEY — Voters in South Monterey County made their voices heard last Tuesday while deciding the fate of two local measures and a city council race.
Monterey County Elections Office officials are continuing to tally ballots cast in the March 5 Presidential Primary Election, releasing the latest results Wednesday. Voter turnout so far was reported at 32.51%, or 68,371 of 210,293 registered voters in the county.
More than 400 ballots, including an estimated 50 vote-by-mail and 375 provisional ballots, are still left to process in Monterey County. Elections officials have up to 30 days after Election Day to complete their tallying, and must report their final results to the Secretary of State by April 4.
“Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by Tuesday, March 12, 2024, as well as any Monterey County vote-by-mail ballots returned to election officials in other counties by Election Day, will be added to the count as applicable,” according to Gina Martinez, Registrar of Voters, with the Monterey County Elections Office.
In addition, there are 376 vote-by-mail ballots with either missing or non-matching signatures. Voters have until two days before certification to file or update a signature with the Elections Office.
“All voters with challenged signatures receive notice from the Elections Office,” Martinez said.
Monterey County’s next report with updated results will be released Friday, March 15.
Local Measures
Voters in Chualar have turned down Chualar Union School District’s Measure O, according to the semi-final official results Friday.
The bond measure, which required 55% voter approval to pass, only received 49.22%, or 127 yes votes, compared to 50.78%, or 131 no votes.
Measure O was to “improve health, safety and security, including replacing fire alarms, fencing and roofs; modernize aging infrastructure, classrooms, technology; and build a science lab,” stated its official description.
If adopted, the measure would have issued $5.6 million in bonds, levying about $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value. It would have generated an average of $360,500 annually, with citizen’s oversight and annual audits.
In Soledad, voters overwhelmingly shot down the City of Soledad’s Measure P, which involved City Ordinance No. 765, Establishing and Implementing By-District Elections.
The measure stated that all city council members would be selected from newly established voting districts and the mayor’s position would be selected among the seated council members — rather than being elected at-large by the public — if adopted.
Measure P needed a majority voter approval to pass; however, it received 89.22%, or 1,656 no votes, compared to 10.78%, or 200 yes votes, according to the latest results.
City Council
Soledad voters were also choosing a new city council member to finish out a partial term.
Only two candidates, Fernando Ansaldo and Phillip Nickerson, appeared on the ballot to join the Soledad City Council. Ansaldo came out on top, earning the most votes with 1,205, or 69.21%, to Nickerson’s 536, or 30.79%.
For Monterey County’s latest results, visit montereycountyelections.us. For complete statewide and district election results, go to electionresults.sos.ca.gov.
