According to the latest polls, a number of the key races in the November 2 general election are close in California. If the students of Berkeley High were the voters, however, things wouldn’t be very much in doubt.
In the gubernatorial race statewide, Democratic candidate Jerry Brown seems to be opening up a defendable lead against Republican Meg Whitman. At BHS, he wins comfortably, with 1,126 votes to Whitman’s 103. That tally, in fact, pushed Whitman into a distant third place, with Peace and Freedom candidate Carlos Alvarez notching 209 votes. Green candidate Laura Wells finished narrowly behind Whitman with 97 votes. American Independent candidate Chelene Nightingale and Libertarian candidate Dale Ogden brought up the rear with with 42 and 24 votes respectively.
The senate race statewide is closely contested, according to the pollsters. Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer has nothing to fear at Berkeley High, nabbing 1,142 votes to Republican challenger Carly Fiorina’s 61. Fiorina was pushed into fourth place by Peace and Freedom candidate Marsha Feinland, 169 votes, and Green candidate Duane Roberts, 102 votes. Fiorina did squeak by Libertarian Gail Lightfoot, 50 votes, and American Independent Edward Noonan, 45 votes.
A variety of propositions split opinion far more at the high school. Prop 19, which legalizes marijuana, was “passed” by 1,170 votes to 457. Prop 21, the $18 vehicle license surcharge for state parks, passed 1,126 to 468. Prop 23, which would suspend AB 32 on greenhouse gases, lost with 529 yes votes to 1,048 no votes. Finally, Prop 25, which would change budget votes in the state legislature from two-thirds to a simple majority, passed by 906 to 598.
