On the final day for Oakland voters to weigh in on the mayor’s race, a slow yet steady trickle of voters eager to do their civic duty arrived at voting centers in East and West Oakland, Fruitvale, downtown, and other parts of the city. Turnout is expected to be low.
Although it’s a mayoral election, and while there’s also a sales tax measure and a council race in District 2, there are no other high-profile state or federal races on the ballot. And the election falls on Tax Day.
Deep East Oakland
The Allen Temple voting center has been open for voting since April 5. For most of that time, voter turnout for the special election has been “thin,” said Shahid Said, captain of the center.
But that changed today.
“We’ve had a nice flow of people going in, going out, like a comfortable train,” he told The Oaklandside. “They are neither underwhelming nor overwhelming us right now.”
He said he expects more voters to come out after 5 p.m. since Election Day also coincides with Tax Day.
“People like to procrastinate, and I think people might file their taxes first before coming out to vote,” Said said.
Oakland resident Bruce Conti arrived at the church around noon to vote.
“I think it’s a very tight race, and I wish we could have both candidates, but unfortunately we could only pick one,” he said, referring to Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor, the two who’ve racked up the most endorsements, financial support, and media attention. “I wish them both the best of luck.”
Eastmont
At Eastmont Town Center around 1:30 p.m., there were just a few voters showing up to cast ballots. The captain of the center, Edward Buckley, said that over the first 10 days, fewer than 15 people showed up each day to vote. It wasn’t until yesterday that more started to arrive. On Monday, about 60 people came to vote.
Today’s been better.
Most of the people coming in to vote are older adults, said Buckley. “It’s a sign of the times,” he said. “Youngsters don’t like to vote.”
Having just turned in her ballot, Elizabeth Pettit, an East Oakland resident, said she voted for Taylor. “Barbara Lee did a lot during her time in Congress, but Taylor is an up-and-comer, and he has family still attending Oakland schools. Barbara Lee was in D.C. when Taylor was in the trenches,” she said.
Two of her biggest concerns are public safety and schools, said Pettit, whose 13th grandchild is on the way. She thinks people are more scared now than 10 years ago and want a mayor who prioritizes public safety.
Fruitvale
In Fruitvale at the United for Success Academy voting center on 35th Avenue, poll captain Stanley Faulkner said that during the 10 days his center has been open, there were fewer than 30 people showing up to vote on average. But today, they’ve been averaging about two voters per minute. One person was waiting in line before they opened this morning, he said.
Over the past few days, he’s noticed mostly members of the surrounding community coming in to vote, including older and younger voters of all races.
“It’s been good to see the whole spectrum of the community coming out,” Faulkner said.
A voter who lives in the Dimond District named Chen said he wants a candidate who will make Oakland safer, foster a strong local economy, and create more jobs.
Another voter, Laurel District resident Annelise Morris, said the most important factor when deciding who to vote for was experience. She said her community is pretty engaged with politics, and everyone in her household votes in elections. She hinted at who she voted for, saying it was the same person she picked in the last mayoral election.
Salah Taleb, who lives on 28th Avenue, came out to vote with two friends and his two sons. He said he voted for Loren Taylor because the candidate knocked on his door and had a conversation with him.
Downtown
At the Main Library downtown, the polling captain, Ric Reed, said they’re the busiest voting center in the entire city. Turnout today has been roughly triple the past three days the center has been open. And the voters coming in are very diverse, including all races and ages, and poll workers have used all the language access services.
“It’s been wonderful to see voters of all mobilities, languages, and demographics coming out,” said Reed.
Hilary Vo, a Richmond public school teacher who lives on Madison Street, arrived at the library around 5:30 p.m. to submit her ballot. She told The Oaklandside she wants a mayor who is “not bought by corruption or motivated by capitalist greed.”
“We need a mayor who will invest in community resources instead of OPD,” she said, pointing to MACRO and mental health resources as the kinds of programs she wants expanded.
Vo felt that Barbara Lee did a “good job” reaching nonprofits and community-based organizations working with vulnerable communities. She said she doesn’t support the people funding Loren Taylor’s campaign.
Because this is a special election, Vo said she’s noticed that some of her friends were less engaged than they were in November during the general election, when there was a lot more on the ballot, including the U.S. President.
Another voter named Harry, who lives near Piedmont Avenue, said he had “major issues” with Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor.
“I thought Lee was representative of problems with the Democratic Party because she is so old and so establishment,” he said. Taylor’s support for rolling back ranked-choice voting set off “red flags” for him, but he felt Taylor has more practical policies.
He added that he likes Suz Robinson because she “doesn’t scream being an entranced politician” like Taylor and Lee, and he wishes the political system gave candidates like Robinson more of a chance.
