The 2018 midterm election is carrying a loaded ballot with heavily contested races and a number of important propositions.
Election night is Nov. 6. Here's everything you need to know about voting what's on the ballot.
Before the election begins
Where to vote in a Voter’s Choice Act county (ones that don't have traditional polling stations)
- Sacramento County will have 78 total voting centers and 53 drop boxes where residents can vote.
- Nevada County will have 8 voting centers and 11 drop boxes within the county.
- The deadline to register is Oct. 22
- Registration can be done online
- If you miss the deadline, there’s still time to register for the election through Conditional Registration.
- Certain circumstances can disqualify citizens from voting in the election
- A person with a criminal history can vote if they meet certain requirements
- Tampering with the voting process could result in prison time or thousands of dollars in fines
- If you miss the vote-by-mail ballot deadline, you can still receive one if you apply in person at the elections office
- There are four ways to return a vote-by-mail ballot
- Two different periods for vote centers to open
- The beginning of the official canvass is Nov. 8.
The politicians
- Various candidates
- Incumbent Congressman Jeff Denham (R) v. Josh Harder (D): This race, among others, is one of 10 targeted districts by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with the potential flip from Republican to Democrat
- Incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) v. Kevin De Leon (D)
- Feinstein’s platforms include gun reform, health care, and immigration
- De Leon's platforms include Medicare for all, immigration reform, and free public education
- John Cox (R) and Gavin Newsom (D)
- Newsom’s platforms include jobs, education, and the environment
- Cox’s platform includes affordable housing, DMV reform, and the gas tax repeal
The propositions (1 – 12)
Proposition 1: The veterans housing bonds
- $4 billion in bonds toward housing programs.
- Funds split between programs for State Housing ($3 billion) and Veterans Housing ($1 billion)
- Aid would come in the form of annual subsidies, payment assistance, and home loans
Proposition 2: The homeless housing bonds
- $2 billion in borrowing to help house people with mental illness who are at risk of homelessness
- Uses funds from Mental Health Services Act to fund the No Place Like Home Program
Proposition 3: The water bonds
- Nearly $9 billion in funding for water infrastructure projects
- Funds are designated for watershed lands, water supply, fish and wildlife habitat, water facility upgrades, groundwater, and flood protection
- $200 million designated to fund state-owned Oroville Dam in Butte County
Proposition 4: The children’s hospital bonds
- $1.5 billion in funds for children’s hospitals
- Funds are available to eight private nonprofit hospitals, five University of California Hospitals, and 150 public or private nonprofit hospitals
Proposition 5: Property tax break for seniors
- A tax break for homeowners over 55 when they move into a more expensive home
- Allows people to move anywhere in the state to qualify for a tax break by removing requirements
- Potential loss of $1 billion annually for local schools and government over time
Proposition 6: The Gas Tax Repeal
- Repeal of gas tax and vehicle registration fee increase passed last year in state legislature
- Bans legislature from raising the gas tax or registration fees without voter approval
- Yes = eliminates new gas tax and car fees for road work
- No = New gas tax and car fees stay in place
Proposition 7: Daylight Saving Time
- Could bring an end to time changes from Daylight Saving Time by making DST year round
- Allows lawmakers to make changes to DST
Proposition 8: Dialysis clinics
- Regulation on dialysis clinics
- Requires rebates and penalties if revenues exceed specific limits
- Areas of concern: revenue for clinics may be severely reduced, some clinics may find themselves opening fewer clinics or closing some that can’t remain in the market
- This proposal would have split California into three states
- It was removed from the ballot by the California Supreme Court
Proposition 10: Rent control
- Allows for rent control on new housing
- Allows for local rent controls on standalone homes
- Yes = Expansion of rent control in the state
- No = Rent control stays the same
Proposition 11: On-call breaks for ambulance workers
- Emergency ambulance workers would have to be on-call during work breaks
- Requires employer-paid training and mental health services for EMTs and paramedics
Proposition 12: Cages for animals
- Space requirements for confining veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens
- Provides square footage requirements
- Hens would be required to have one square foot of space per hen in 2020; require cage-free housing in 2022
The local measures
- A continuation and increase to the current 1/2 cent Measure U tax
- A 1 cent general sales tax that would generate about $95 million per year for Sacramento
- Re-designating agricultural land as residential/mixed use land
- Would be used to build the 75-acre West Davis Active Adult Community
- A 1/2 cent general sales tax
- Estimated to bring in $16 million to $19 million annually for Roseville
- Addresses affordable housing for the middle class
- Proposal includes spaces for seniors and resident dealing with high cost of living
The Mayoral races
- Mayor Steve Ly - seeks expansion, improvements to public transit, fueling job growth in the Bio Tech industry, and adding a diversity committee.
- Vice Mayor Darren Suen - seeks to address traffic decongestion in Elk Grove, transportation options, and the creation of an employment center to encourage people to work closer to home
- Tracie Stafford - seeks to support small business, improve quality of life, and increase representation through by-district voting
- Mayor Christopher Cabaldon - has been mayor of West Sacramento for 20 years and was West Sacramento's first mayor directly elected by voters.
- Joseph DeAnda - seeks to examine city budget, double funding for after-school programs, prioritize levees and compensations for public safety, and improve infrastructure
- Esther Moskalets - seeks to grow the economy, make West Sacramento a "premier living environment," improving infrastructure, and increasing police officer salaries