Happy election day, Santa Monica! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to find your polling place and cast your vote. It’s vital that, in addition to voting in national and state races, that you vote down the ballot for local candidates and ballot measures.
In a city the size of Santa Monica, local races are determined by the dozens — not the hundreds or thousands — of votes. That means your voice can make the difference. Remember, if you don’t speak up, someone else is speaking for you. Plus, when you vote, they give you stickers, in case exercising your right to democracy was motivation enough.
Your one-stop nonpartisan voting information stop today is SMVote.org. You’ll find everything you need there, including candidate statements, information about ballot measures, and where to go to check your voting status.
Also, we will be livetweeting election day today at @SaMoNext. Send us post-voting pictures and make sure to use the #VoteLocal. And tell us why you #VoteLocal today.
There are three competitive local races this year: City Council, School Board, and Santa Monica College Board of Trustees.
While Santa Monica Next will not endorse any of the candidates running for office, we have taken positions on four of the local ballot measures. Below is our brief ballot guide.
Yes on Measure LC, No on Measure D: “First, do you think that closing all, or part, of Santa Monica Airport is worth the battle the City will doubtlessly have to wage against the FAA? Is the steady flow of jets and the air and noise pollution they bring with them so onerous that you think the City should continue to fight the federal government and aviation interests to try and turn an airfield for a few into a park or some other more public use? If you answered ‘yes,’ vote No on D and Yes on LC.” Read our complete editorial here.
Yes on Measures H and HH: “Santa Monica’s housing crisis is a major cause for the rush hour traffic that turns the I-10 into a parking lot for hours everyday as many of the people that work in the more than quarter million jobs don’t live or can’t afford to live in the idyllic city of 90,000 residents. Measures H and HH will help solve part of Santa Monica’s housing problem.” Read our complete editorial here.
