Image: Yes on D
Berkeley voters made history Tuesday, Nov. 4. Image: Yes on D

Berkeleyside covered the local 2014 election results live from 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, through 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5. See the live blog below, with continuing coverage through Tuesday, Nov. 11. See complete Berkeleyside election 2014 coverage.

Nov. 12, 6:39 p.m. And the votes are in! The final tallies have just been posted on the Alameda County registrar of voters website. The one race still in play as of Tuesday was Berkeley’s City Council District 8, with Lori Droste and George Beier battling it out for the top spot.

Currently, Droste has 2,072 votes to Beier’s 2,056, with no more votes to count. The results have not yet been certified, however.

According to the Berkeley Daily Planet, “The Registrar will conduct a 1% manual tally next Monday to verify the accuracy of the vote count.” If either candidate — or anyone else — wants to request a recount, the request must be filed within five calendar days after the completion of the official canvass.

County-wide, 366,599 voters (or 45% of the total number of registered voters) cast ballots in the November 2014 election.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

The cost for a recount. (Click to read more.)
The cost for a recount. (Click to read more.)

Nov. 11, 2:45 a.m. Berkeley’s 2014 election results appear below in full — to this point — but county registrar Tim Dupuis said it’s going to take another day to finish the count. Tuesday is a federal holiday, so the next update should come Wednesday, he said.

District 8’s Lori Droste is still on top, by a hair, just four votes over runner-up George Beier. The gap between the two candidates has been tight since Sunday, with minor fluctuations and, so far, one flip-flop. Stay tuned to see what happens.

The rest of the results appear below as they currently stand.

2014 Berkeley candidate races. Source: Alameda County registrar of voters
2014 Berkeley candidate races. Source: Alameda County registrar of voters
2014 Berkeley ballot measures. Source: Alameda County registrar of voters
2014 Berkeley ballot measures. Source: Alameda County registrar of voters

Countywide, 362,813 ballots have been counted, resulting so far in a 45% turnout. We’ll post local numbers when they are available.

Nov. 11, 1:30 a.m. No updates have yet been provided about the results of the 2014 election. Berkeleyside will follow up Tuesday and will update this post as soon as additional information is available.

Nov. 10, 5:20 p.m. Instead of doing its regular 5 p.m. update, the Alameda County registrar of voters is pushing back its Monday ballot-count posting online for 1-2 hours because the process is nearly done, said county spokesman Guy Ashley.

“Rather than dragging it out for everybody, we’ll just push through,” said Tim Dupuis, the registrar of voters for Alameda County.

Monday’s tally, when it’s released, is set to include all ballots cast, including absentee and provisional ballots, he said. The results will still be unofficial, however, until Dupuis certifies them. (He has until Dec. 2 to do so.)

Nov. 9, 5:10 p.m. Lori Droste has pulled into the lead in Berkeley’s Council District 8. She has 1,995 votes, compared to George Beier’s 1,983.

Votes are still being counted, however. The counting is likely to continue into next week, registrar of voters Tim Dupuis said previously. Under state law, Alameda County has until Dec. 2 to certify its election results.

Click to view larger.
Click to view larger.

Updates posted online Sunday “reflect an additional 10,164 ballots that were counted since the Registrar’s last update on Saturday afternoon,” according to a statement from the county. An estimated 14,000 votes remain to be processed countywide. Thus far, Alameda County has counted ballots submitted by 347,600 voters.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

Nov. 8, 5 p.m. According to the latest numbers from the registrar of voters, here are the numbers for Berkeley candidate races. The next update will be online tomorrow by 5 p.m., with the ranked-choice races coming online a short time later.

  • School board (3 seats): Ty Alper (18,848), Josh Daniels (17,824), Karen Hemphill (15,486), Julie Sinai (15,026)
  • City Council District 1: Linda Maio (2,850), Alejandro Soto-Vigil (2,071), Merrilie Mitchell (224)
  • City Council District 4: Jesse Arreguín (2,108)
  • City Council District 7: Kriss Worthington (657), Sean Barry (534)
  • City Council District 8: George Beier (1,910), Lori Droste (1,908)

The District 8 race has narrowed since Friday, with just two votes separating frontrunner George Beier from Lori Droste.

According to the most recent numbers, overall county turnout for the election was just 41%. Berkeleyside will report local numbers when they are available. The latest results show that Alameda County has counted ballots submitted by 337,436 voters.

Click to view larger.
Click to view larger.

The latest tallies “reflect an additional 47,045 ballots that were counted since the Registrar’s last update on Friday afternoon. Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis said that only about 24,000 votes remain to be processed Countywide,” according to the registrar’s office.

The counting is likely to continue into next week, Dupuis said. Under state law, Alameda County has until Dec. 2 to certify its election results.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

Nov. 7, 5 p.m. According to the latest numbers from the registrar of voters, here are the numbers for Berkeley candidate races. The next update will be online tomorrow at 5 p.m., with the ranked-choice races coming online a short time later.

  • School board (3 seats): Ty Alper (15,481), Josh Daniels (14,749), Karen Hemphill (12,729), Julie Sinai (12,429)
  • City Council District 1: Linda Maio (2,232), Alejandro Soto-Vigil (1,593), Merrilie Mitchell (188)
  • City Council District 4: Jesse Arreguín (1,729) with 26 write-ins
  • City Council District 7: Kriss Worthington (560), Sean Barry (450)
  • City Council District 8: George Beier (1,692), Lori Droste (1,673)

The District 8 race has narrowed slightly since Thursday, with just 19 votes — less than .1% — separating frontrunner George Beier from Lori Droste.

According to the most recent numbers, overall county turnout for the election was just 36%. Berkeleyside will report local numbers when they are available.

Click the image to view it larger.
Click the image to view it larger.

Updates posted to the registrar of voter’s website Friday reflected an additional 35,493 ballots that were counted since the Thursday update. Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis estimated that about 40,000 vote-by-mail ballots still need to be counted. About 24,000 provisional ballots still need to be processed as well.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

Nov. 6, 5:10 p.m. According to the latest numbers from the registrar of voters, here are the numbers for Berkeley candidate races. About 25,000 new ballots have been counted today throughout Alameda County, with another 75,000 to go. The next update will be online tomorrow at 5 p.m., with the ranked-choice races coming online a short time later.

  • School board (3 seats): Ty Alper (12,668), Josh Daniels (12,207), Karen Hemphill (10,511), Julie Sinai (10,267)
  • City Council District 1: Linda Maio (1,910), Alejandro Soto-Vigil (1,366), Merrilie Mitchell (166), 7 write-ins
  • City Council District 4: Jesse Arreguín (1,403) with 26 write-ins
  • City Council District 7: Kriss Worthington (476), Sean Barry (380), 1 write in
  • City Council District 8: George Beier (1,449), Lori Droste (1,421)
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Click the chart to view it larger.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

Nov. 5, 10:19 p.m. For those who are interested, the schedule to release ballot information follows: “After Tuesday night’s final elections update, Dupuis said his office will next update the results at about 5 p.m. Thursday. He said his office will then embark on a schedule in which new updates will be issued about 5 p.m. each weekday until all votes have been processed. Where applicable, the Ranked-Choice Voting algorithm will be factored into all of the post-Election Day updates of the results.… Under California law, the Registrar has 28 days following Election Day to finalize the vote count and certify Alameda County’s election results.”

Nov. 5, 8:15 a.m.: George Beier is holding on to a slim lead over Lori Droste for the District 8 City Council seat. Since he leads by only 25 votes and many absentee ballots have not yet been counted, the race is still too close to call.

While Droste held the lead after all the votes were tallied early Wednesday morning, she did not capture 50% + 1 of the vote, so the ranked choice voting system went into effect. By the time the Alameda County Registrar of Voters had gone through four rounds of RCV, Beier had 1,267 or 50.50% of the vote and Droste had 1,242 or 49.50% of the vote. Michael Alvarez Cohen came in third and Jacquelyn McCormick came in fourth. The results are unofficial. Election officials may not finish tallying absentee ballots for a few days.

Unofficial results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters
Unofficial results from the Alameda County registrar of voters. (Click for a PDF; scroll to the bottom of the document for the Round 4 numbers.)

Nov. 5, 1:11 a.m. With 100% of the precincts reporting— though many absentee ballots remain to be counted — here’s where the measures stand.

  • Measure D (soda tax): Yes wins with 75% (16,966)
  • Measure F (parks tax): Yes wins with 75% (16,100)
  • Measure R (downtown initiative): No wins with 74% (15,606)
  • Measure S (redistricting): Yes wins with 64% (12,548)
  • Measure BB (county transportation tax): Yes wins with 70% (147,910)

Nov. 5, 12:55 a.m. With 100% of the precincts reporting — though many absentee ballots remain to be counted — here’s where the candidate races stand.

  • District 1: Incumbent Linda Maio has 55% of the vote (1,779), followed by Alejandro Soto-Vigil with 40% (1,285).
  • District 4: Incumbent Jesse Arreguin ran unopposed, and garnered 1,219 votes; no write-ins were reported.
  • District 7: Incumbent Kriss Worthington held onto his council seat with 55% of the votes (421) to challenger Sean Barry’s 45% (340).
  • District 8 is still to be determined because it is a ranked-choice race, but Lori Droste has the lead with 28%, followed by Mike Alvarez Cohen with 27%, George Beier with 26%, and Jacquelyn McCormick with 19%.
  • School Board: With three open seats, challenger Ty Alper led the way with 26% of the votes, followed by incumbents Josh Daniels with 25% and Karen Hemphill with 22%. Incumbent Julie Sinai was a close fourth with 21% of the vote. In fifth place was Norma JF Harrison, with 5%.

For complete Alameda County results, visit the registrar of voters website.

Nov. 5, 12:51 a.m. District 1 challenger Alejandro Soto-Vigil gave his concession speech at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, after personally checking five of the precincts in the district. “It was enough to say, that’s what it is,” he told Berkeleyside’s Mary Flaherty.

“I may have lost the race, but District 1 lost in the leadership race,” Soto-Vigil said after his speech at the campaign headquarters for Arreguín, Worthington and McCormick as well as Yes on R and No on S.

Soto-Vigil said he will continue for two more years on the rent board, and will keep working on issues facing District 1, “because I’m a social activist.”

He promised his supporters he would be back in four years. See part of his concession speech below.

Nov. 5, 12:48 a.m. It looks very promising for Tony Thurmond for State Assembly District 15. He’s about 6,000 votes ahead of competitor Elizabeth Echols and his campaign HQ is in a celebratory mood. Natalie Orenstein reported a statement made by Thurmond a little earlier this evening about the results: “Obviously I’m excited and encouraged. I’m thankful to the voters that we have a significant lead right now, and that the voters responded to our message. A grassroots campaign is what we run. And we’ve run a campaign on issues about progressive values — education, and environment, and expanding healthcare for those who’ve been left out. So I’m excited that the voters have responded. It’s somewhat early and we want to be cautious, but we’re optimistic and exciting about the possibilities.”

Thurmond talking to a celebratory crowd at his campaign HQ this evening. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Assembly candidate Tony Thurmond talking to a celebratory crowd at his campaign HQ at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Photo: Natalie Orenstein

Nov. 5, 12:34 a.m. There’s been a bit of a shuffle in the Berkeley School Board race, with 80% of the precincts reporting as of 12:15 a.m. There are three open seats.

Narrowly in front is Ty Alper (26%), followed by incumbents Josh Daniels (25%), Karen Hemphill (22%) and Julie Sinai (21%).

Nov. 5, 12:29 a.m. Here’s the round-up for the measures, with 80% of the precincts reporting.

  • Measure D (soda tax): 75% yes to 25% no
  • Measure F (parks tax): 75% yes to 25% no
  • Measure R (downtown zoning): 74% no to 26% yes
  • Measure S (redistricting): 64% yes to 36% no

Nov. 5, 12:23 a.m. In the District 8 council race, Mike Alvarez Cohen is leading the pack with 29% of the votes, followed closely by Lori Droste and George Beier, both with 26%, and Jacquelyn McCormick with 19%. However, this race in particular is still up for grabs, as the county registrar has said the final results for ranked-choice voting may not be in for days. (He has up to 28 days to certify the results.)

Nov. 5, 12:18 a.m. With 83% of the precincts reporting, Councilwoman Linda Maio looks to have taken the District 1 seat with 56% of the vote to Alejandro Soto-Vigil’s 39%.

With 91% of the precincts reporting, District 7 Councilman Kriss Worthington is widening his lead, with 56% of the vote over Sean Barry’s 44%.

Election 2014 lawn signs on Garber Street in Berkeley. Photo: Tracey Taylor
Election 2014 lawn signs on Garber Street in Berkeley. Photo: Tracey Taylor

Nov. 5, 12:10 a.m. A little levity amid the excitement. Subject: campaign signs. Local planning consultant Mark Rhoades told Berkeleyside’s Frances Dinkelspiel that so many No on Measure R signs were being ripped out around Berkeley in the past few weeks that the campaign stopped handing them out. Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, a small group of volunteers took signs and blanketed the city, however. Meanwhile Jacquelyn McCormick, who is running for the District 8 council seat, sat down and told Mary Flaherty this story this evening: For the last two weeks, McCormick has found the signs for her campaign and Yes on R, in her yard along Tunnel Road pulled up and thrown on the ground. She would replant them and find them on the ground again at lunch. Then the signs started getting thrown under her neighbors’ bushes. Sometimes they were torn up, and she taped them back together.

Finally, Monday she left a note on the signs: “Dear SignThief, We got a great picture of you. Look for it tomorrow on Berkeleyside.”

“My signs were still there in the morning,” McCormick said, laughing.

Berkeley will vote on Measure D, the so-called Soda Tax, in November. Photo: Vox Efx
San Francisco’s soda tax looks like it has been overwhelmingly defeated, making a possible victory for Measure D in Berkeley all the more momentous. Photo: Vox Efx

Nov. 5, 12:10 a.m. Measure R, the so-called green downtown initiative looks likely to fail. At 11:44 p.m., with 42% of the vote counted, 75% of votes were against it with only 25% in favor.

The breakdowns for the candidate races follow, and the measures are below in the prior update.

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Nov. 4, 11:55 p.m. Berkeley looks to have voted in a soda tax — and would be the first city in the country to do so. As of 11:44 p.m with 42% of the votes counted, Measure D is projected to win with 74% in favor and 26% against. Large soda companies have spent around $128 million to defeat 31 other local measures around the country. In Berkeley they spent around $2.4 million. The Ecology Center, one of the key backers of the tax, issued a victory statement at 11:11 p.m. Part of the statement reads: “We fully expect other communities to take on the soda industry and succeed,” says Yes on D Co-Chair Dr. Vicki Alexander. “Berkeley has a proud history of setting nationwide trends, such as nonsmoking sections in restaurants and bars, curb cuts for wheelchairs, curbside recycling, and public school food policies. Many communities have the same ingredients that made Measure D possible in Berkeley: proactive parents and community leaders who care about the health of their kids.”

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11:40 p.m. San Francisco’s soda tax measure — Prop E — looks like it’s been defeated, making a possible victory in Berkeley on Measure D even more groundbreaking. A statement on the defeat was issued by Roger Salazar from the No on E: Stop Unfair Beverage Taxes, Coalition for an Affordable City (which is funded largely by the American Beverage Association California) at 11:21 p.m.

“Voters know that a new tax on beverages like juice drinks and soda would have driven up grocery prices, and made it more expensive to live and work in San Francisco,” he said. “Tonight, San Franciscans have made it clear that they can decide for themselves what to eat and drink. It’s time for our elected leaders to focus on issues like affordability, public safety, homelessness and keeping streets and parks clean.”

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates talking at the Democratic Campaign HQ in Berkeley at around 10:30pm. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates talking at the Democratic Campaign HQ in Berkeley about Measure R, the downtown initiative, at around 10:30pm. Photo: Natalie Orenstein

11:30 p.m. The country registrar released new numbers at 11:17 p.m., but none of the standings have changed.

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Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 11.46.16 PM

11:10 p.m. As of shortly before 11 p.m., here are the standings for the candidate races.

  • School board (top three): Ty Alper (5,899); Josh Daniels (5,675); Julie Sinai (5,154)
  • Council District 1: Linda Maio (734); Alejandro Soto-Vigil (425)
  • Council District 7: Kriss Worthington (238); Sean Barry (217)
  • Council District 8: Mike Alvarez Cohen (445); George Beier (374); Lori Droste (331)
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10:59 p.m. The Alameda County registrar’s office has released the latest numbers. With 23% of precincts reporting:

  • Measure D (soda tax) has 74% in favor and 26% opposed
  • Measure F (parks tax) has 73% in favor and 27% opposed (needs two-thirds vote)
  • Measure R (downtown initiative) has 75% opposed and 25% in favor
  • Measure S (redistricting) has 66% in favor and 34% opposed
Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 11.24.05 PM

10:55 p.m. Mayor Tom Bates spoke to Berkeleyside’s Natalie Orenstein about Measure R, which he opposes. He said: “People are overwhelmingly opposing it, so I think that’s a great sign. It’s early but hopefully that’ll continue. I was really optimistic. Three people wrote a 28-page document that had no input from anybody else. They put it under the guise of saving the post office, when the city council has already saved the post office. It’s now covered under an ordinance we just passed. It sets criteria that nobody can achieve. As a consequence nothing will happen, it will stop all the growth we’ve had, stop all the development, put in place things like LEED Platinum hotels that nobody in America has. It’s the same people who opposed the downtown plan. They came up with a clever way to say we’re going to make it better when the real intent is to stop it. I’m so happy that people saw through that.”

Tim Frank, the chair of the No on R campaign, gives members of the Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Association his views on the ballot measure. Jesse Arreguín, left, presented the Yes on R position. Photo: Mark Coplan
Tim Frank, the chair of the No on R campaign, seen here with Jesse Arreguín, at an event in October. Photo: Mark Coplan

10:50 p.m. Tim Frank, chair of the No on R campaign (pictured above, right), talked to Berkeleyside reporter Natalie Orenstein a little while ago. He said: “The precise numbers are way too early to tell but I think the fact that we started off with a lead at 75% is very promising. All the environmental groups, the labor groups, the affordable housing groups on our side gave us a winning combination. If you want that green downtown, if you want good quality jobs either for hotel workers or construction labor, if you want a vibrant downtown with more housing for everybody…there’s only one way to make that happen: you have to build something. This measure was fundamentally about anti-growth. Four years ago we had the same array of affordable housing an labor and business and civic leaders behind the existing downtown plan, and they got 64% of the voters to say yes. We actually had a little bit of money to do some polling which suggested we’d have the same coalition and similar numbers.”

10:40 p.m. Elizabeth Echols, who is facing off against Tony Thurmond for 15th State Assembly seat, was earlier at the local democratic campaign HQ with her husband Parviz Boozarpour and daughter Theresa. Natalie Orenstein reports that Echols said she was feeling “great.” “This morning Theresa and I went out and voted, then I spent most of the day on the phone,” she said. With only 8.37% of the votes counted she was narrowly ahead of Thurmond with 10,396 votes.

Alameda County registrar of voters. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Alameda County registrar of voters. Photo: Emilie Raguso

10:20 p.m. Where are new results we hear you ask? The last update from Alameda County registrar was more than two hours ago at 8:10 p.m. We just spoke with Alameda County spokesman Guy Ashley, who told us an update on results is expected “very soon.”

“The staff are working on the latest items in a locked room and we anticipate an update very soon,” he said. Ashley said everything is working normally, and there had been no breakdown in the process.

Photos: Mary Flaherty
Photos: Mary Flaherty

10:17 p.m. For those wondering about Measure BB, the county transportation tax, the current breakdown is 68% in favor and 32% opposed.

9:55 p.m. About 70 people are gathered at the Yes-on-R (downtown zoning), No-on-S (redistricting) headquarters, says Berkeleyside freelancer Mary Flaherty from the scene.

Berkeley Councilman Jesse Arreguín, who is running unopposed, said earlier tonight, “I’ve already won.”

Councilman Jesse Arreguín. Photo: Mary Flaherty
Councilman Jesse Arreguín. Photo: Mary Flaherty

Rent Stabilization Board members celebrated their win — there were just enough candidates for the open seats available — with a song called “For a Berkeley we can all call home.”

Said Rent Board member James Chang, “The progressive movement is a marathon, not a sprint.”

There was large applause when attendees learned that Thurmond was ahead of Echols in the polls for State Assembly District 15.

Jacquelyn McCormick, who is running for the District 8 council seat, is in attendance, as is Alejandro Soto-Vigil, who is running against incumbent Linda Maio in District 1. Councilman Kriss Worthington had not yet arrived but was expected.

Dr Vicki Alexander, co-chair of Measure D: "We built an incredible coalition here in Berkeley. We are building a movement." Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
Dr. Vicki Alexander, co-chair of Measure D: “We built an incredible coalition here in Berkeley.” Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

9:30 p.m. Over at the Yes on Measure D headquarters on Shattuck Avenue, Dr. Vicki Alexander said earlier, “We built an incredible coalition here in Berkeley. We are building a movement.”

Also in attendance are Linda Maio (running to defend her seat in District 1 on the Berkeley City Council), Josh Daniels (running for a seat on the Berkeley School Board), and Berkeley Councilman Laurie Capitelli.

Berkeleyside’s Frances Dinkelspiel, reporting from the scene, says you wouldn’t know there are more votes to count. People are exuberant and political campaign consultant Larry Tramutola has predicted the campaign will win by 80%.

Elizabeth Echols and Julie Sinai (right). Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Elizabeth Echols and Julie Sinai (right). Photo: Natalie Orenstein

9:23 p.m. There has only been one update this evening, as of now, from the Alameda County registrar of voters for Berkeley races. We’re keeping our eyes on it. On the measures, eight precincts are reporting, which translates into nearly 8% reported.

9:02 p.m. Early Berkeley School Board results show Ty Alper in the lead, followed by Josh Daniels and Julie Sinai. There are three seats opening. Julie Sinai says she’s “cautiously optimistic” at this point.

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8:58 p.m. Watch activist Joy Moore in this video (below) shot by Berkeleyside’s Frances Dinkelspiel, talk about what the soda tax issue means to her. Moore, who’s at Berkeley vs Big Soda HQ tonight, has working on the issue locally since 2001, and recently wrote an op-ed for Berkeleyside on the issue.

8:50 p.m. Even hard-working campaigners have to eat. Hungry canvassers formed a long line for Indian food at the local United Democratic Campaign HQ. Here’s a photo of the “No on R” team eating and cheering:

Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Says Nic Dominguez from the Yes on D headquarters: "This is what Democracy looks like!"
Says Nic Dominguez from the Yes on D headquarters: “This is what Democracy looks like!”

8:46 p.m. So far the ballots show voters upholding the council majority’s approved redistricting map, with 67% in favor of it and 33% against it.

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8:39 p.m. The parks tax is showing a similar pattern, with 72% in favor and 28% opposed. The measure needs a two-thirds majority to succeed.

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8:31 p.m. No on R (the downtown zoning initiative) is significantly ahead, with 75% of the vote so far, but it’s still very early.

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8:27 p.m. So far, Yes on Measure D, the soda tax, is showing a big lead with 7% reported.

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8:24 p.m. The first Berkeley City Council District 8 results show Mike Alvarez Cohen in the lead by a small margin.

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8:20 p.m. Very early results coming in now from the registrar’s office. We’ll post them here. First up, Berkeley City Council races 1, 4 and 7.

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The Yes on D team watching a Berkeley Council meeting about the soda tax in 2013. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
The Yes on D team watching a Berkeley Council meeting about the soda tax in 2013. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

8:11 p.m. Measure D volunteers are getting revved up by watching a clip of a 2013 Berkeley City Council meeting when people testified about the health impacts of sugar and the need for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages: Lots of clapping.

And the first results are in: we’ll post them coming up.

The scene at the Yes on D headquarters in downtown Berkeley. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
The scene at the Yes on D headquarters in downtown Berkeley. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

7:57 p.m. Reporting from the Yes on Measure D headquarters in downtown Berkeley, Frances Dinkelspiel says canvassers are still getting out the vote.

7:45 p.m. Says Berkeleyside freelancer Natalie Orenstein, the United Democratic Campaign location is “pretty quiet” as of 7:30 p.m., though Echols supporters (pictured below) were “canvassing until the last minute.”

UDC in Berkeley, Election 2014. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
UDC in Berkeley, Election 2014. Photo: Natalie Orenstein

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner is there, too, canvassing for Echols. Said Skinner, “I loved my job. It’s a hard one to leave but I’ll be leaving it in good hands.”

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
UDC in Berkeley, Election 2014. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
UDC in Berkeley, Election 2014. Photo: Natalie Orenstein

7:38 p.m. Berkeleyside reporters are heading out to three locations, as poll closure approaches: south of the Cal campus to the Yes on R-No on S campaign headquarters, and downtown to the United Democratic Campaign headquarters and the Yes on Measure D headquarters. We’ll have reports coming in soon.

7:25 p.m. Berkeleyside stopped by the Alameda County registrar of voters in Oakland and spoke with registrar Tim Dupuis, who predicted 40%-50% voter turnout for the Nov. 4 election based on what he’d seen as of nearly 5 p.m. He said he hopes, once all the ballots are counted, turnout will be higher.

Dupuis said races that rely on run-off voting won’t be updated until late Tuesday night, which in Berkeley only involves the council races. Dupuis said he has 28 days to certify the results.

If you’re on Twitter, don’t forget to use #Berkeley2014 so we notice your election night observations. Local residents are already getting in the mix.

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Alameda County registrar of voters. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Alameda County registrar of voters. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Photo: jamelah e
Be sure to get your sticker today — and check back in on Berkeleyside to see the results of local races in Berkeley. Photo: jamelah e

Original post, 9:30 a.m. Today, Nov. 4, is the day to vote, if you haven’t already done so by postal ballot.

And for all who want to know what happens as it happens, and for the political junkies among you, join us right here Tuesday night for live coverage of the races and the results as they come in. We’ll update this post with news as we get it from the campaigns, the candidates and the community.

If you are still unsure how to fill out your ballot, hop on over to the Berkeleyside Election Hub, our one-stop voting guide that pulls together key Berkeley coverage for the November 2014 election. It includes many reported stories, as well as the numerous opinion pieces submitted by readers and published in our Opinionator section in the past few months. The community has been particularly vocal this year about several measures on the ballot and we are delighted to be able to offer a forum for these important conversations.

As usual, the polls are set to close tonight at 8 p.m. Just like in 2012, our team will live-blog results as they are announced, with journalists reporting in from campaign headquarters around town on everything from the high-profile soda tax measure to the District 8 council race, the controversial downtown initiative and much more.

However, results in the District 8 race to replace Gordon Wozniak probably won’t be completed until very late on Tuesday or even on Wednesday, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. Unlike in other years, when the Registrar processed ranked choice voting results several times during the night, it will only be done at the very end of the evening. In addition, many vote-by-mail ballots won’t be tabulated for a few days.

TONIGHT: Simply bookmark this post to view the live blog, which we aim to begin around 7 p.m., and share the link with anyone who may be interested in the outcomes of the local races.

FOLLOW ALONG: You can also follow the action on Twitter @berkeleyside. Keep an eye as well on the Berkeleyside Facebook page for updates.

JOIN IN: We hope you’ll use the hashtag #Berkeley2014 to join in the conversation by sharing observations and photographs from Berkeley’s November 2014 election day and night.

Still haven’t voted? Click the following links to learn more about the big local races.

(Editor’s Note: We updated the publication time on this post for administrative purposes.)

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Berkeleyside staff

Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently-owned local news site. Learn more about the Berkeleyside team. Questions?...