Silicon Valley voters today face a slew of critical decisions — who to elect to the area’s first open congressional seat in decades, how to reshape local city councils and the race on everyone’s mind: Who to send to the White House.
After a battering election season rife with political attacks and mud-slinging, it all comes to a head today as hundreds of thousands of Santa Clara County voters go to the polls. Polls open at 7 a.m. today and close at 8 p.m. Find a vote center by clicking here. If you’ve already filled out your vote-by-mail ballot, here’s where you can drop it off.
Elections officials are expecting 80%-85% voter turnout today, with presidential elections typically drawing out more voters.
Read our full election guide here, including a look at how money is shaping this year’s consequential contests.
Our San José Spotlight team of reporters will blanket the city tonight to bring the latest results, reactions and analysis from the field. And bookmark this page for tonight’s live election results after polls close, brought to you in partnership with the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ.
What’s at stake
Voters will choose whether to send the Bay Area’s own Kamala Harris to the White House four months after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. She faces off with former President Donald Trump who lost the presidency four years ago.
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo will go head to head with Assemblymember Evan Low for a rare shot at Congress — replacing retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo. The race is one of the most costly and closely-watched in Northern California.
Farther down the ballot, San Jose voters will weigh four council races, including two open seats in Districts 2 and 6 (replacing termed-out Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez and Dev Davis, respectively). San Jose Councilmembers Domingo Candelas and Arjun Batra, both appointed in 2023, are facing reelection against challengers.
At the county level, the most competitive race is between Madison Nguyen and Betty Duong for the District 2 supervisorial seat. One of the two women will become the county’s first Vietnamese American policymaker. In District 5, Sally Lieber and Margaret Abe-Koga are running for the a seat on the five-person Board of Supervisors.
In the South Bay’s only open Assembly race, two candidates — Patrick Ahrens and Tara Sreekrishnan — are competing to replace Low in District 26.
There are just over 1 million registered voters in Santa Clara County. See all results from the county here.
Michael Borja, a spokesman for the county Registrar of Voters, said 43% of mail-in ballots — or about 480,000 — have already been returned.
“If you have a vote center nearby, you can also vote in person,” he told San José Spotlight. “Just be sure to be in line before 8 p.m. You’ll still be processed as long as you make the cut off and are in line.”
Lynette Huang, a 33-year-old analyst, was one of the first to cast her ballot at the elections office Tuesday.
“It’s super important every four years to speak for yourself and assert your rights,” Huang said. “Because I’m a resident of Santa Clara, it’s important to ensure our community is safe. I focus on our crime rate and what we can do to make our community safer.”
San Jose resident Jackie Beloney is unemployed and worried about the economy. But what drew him to the polls Tuesday is women’s reproductive rights — a cornerstone issue in this year’s presidential race.
“I have a granddaughter and I want her to be heard,” said Beloney, 71. “It’s about what the constitution represents. Freedom for everybody. It’s supposed to protect the people and the voices of the people.”
Check back for more updates.
Live election results
Congressional District 16
Assembly District 26
Santa Clara County
San Jose City Council
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