First signs from Tuesday’s election results point to a defeat
for Measure A, the Hollister School District’s proposal for a $96
parcel tax.
First signs from Tuesday’s election results point to a likely defeat for Measure A, the Hollister School District’s proposal for a $96 annual parcel tax.
The numbers from mail-in votes and a second round of results showed that 49.8 percent of the voters were against the ballot measure, intended to raise more than $1 million annually for programs facing cuts, according to the unofficial results.
With just 50.2 percent of voters in favor of the idea – which needs two-thirds approval – the measure’s supporters were faced with daunting news from the first round of results, which do not tend to fluctuate a lot throughout an election night.
The financially-strapped district placed the question for a parcel tax on the ballot for Tuesday. Officials promoted the measure’s intention to halt cuts to programs such as those in libraries, music and computer labs.
The initial results revealed that 1,806 voters were against the measure and 1,823 supported it, according to the figures from the San Benito County Elections Office.
In recent elections, mail-in votes have made up around half of all tallies. It means that Measure A supporters have a tough climb ahead if they hope to make up ground.
The measure put forward by the district would raise an estimated $1.2 million annually for four years, excluding the election cost and – only if approved – fees for the firm hired to consult and get the ballot measure passed.
As of the initial results, a total of 3,629 votes were counted for Measure A. The initial rounds of counts made up 20.3 percent of registered voters.
Look back for more. See the updated results here.
