Alameda County voters utilize drive through ballot box as they weigh in on transportation measure

Byby Katie Utehs KGO logo
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Alameda County voters utilize drive through ballot box as they weigh in on transportation measure
Alameda County residents utilized a drive through ballot drop box Thursday on Fallon Street in Oakland, right outside the Registrar of Voters Office.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Alameda County residents utilized a drive through ballot drop box Thursday on Fallon Street in Oakland, right outside the Registrar of Voters Office.

Convenience is the overarching trend in voting, says Registrar Tim Dupuis.

YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE: Bay Area June 2018 Election Day voting guide

All Bay Area voters are being asked to vote Regional Measure 3. It's a proposed toll increase of three dollars for the Bay Area's seven state-owned bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is excluded because it has its own district. The money would fund 35 transportation projects with an emphasis on mass transportation.

It's estimated the toll increases would raise $4.5 billion over 25 years. The toll increase would occur $1 at a time starting in 2019, then again in 2022, with the last installment in 2025.

Supporters say it would help relieve Bay Area traffic congestion.

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Those opposed say Alameda County and Contra Costa County residents would carry the burden of the toll while the South Bay would benefit, but pay less. That's due to the location of the bridges and who utilizes them.

Traditionally, primaries have lower returns. Dupuis says so far, he's seeing average numbers.

"If we base it on the last gubernatorial election, we're going to look at about 30 percent turnout, 35 percent turnout," said Dupuis.

He expects an influx of ballots being dropped of this hour as people get off work. Ballots have to be postmarked June 5 so those will likely make it to the registrar's by Thursday. He says the election in Alameda County will be certified before the end of June.

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Measure 3 needs a simple majority to pass, that's 50 percent plus one.

Another closely watched race in Alameda County is District Attorney featuring an incumbent and a political newcomer.

Current District Attorney Nancy O'Malley is on the ballot again. O'Malley was the first woman elected to the position in Alameda County she's been DA for 10 years. She's endorsed by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Diane Feinstein.

Her challenger is civil rights attorney Pamela Price. Price came to prominence in the Bay Area while representing a teenager at the center of a sex scandal involving police agencies across the East Bay. Price received a large campaign contribution from Lauren Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Price has been endorsed by a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and other progressives.

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