The results in: Measure E, a bid to increase the sales tax in the city of Westminster, won over nearly 62% of voters. The Orange County Registrar of Voters released its latest count as of 5:43 p.m. March 22, and reported that all ballots have been processed.
Here are the results for Meausure E:
The election was March 5. So you might be asking yourself, why does it take so long to make it all official?
As a recent LAist story explained: Californians overwhelmingly vote by mail — more than 87% of votes cast in the 2022 general election were mail-in ballots. Those ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days (for the primary, that was Tuesday, March 12).
It's all part of the long and meticulous voting process in California: The Secretary of State is slated to certify the final primary results on April 12.
Measure E’s passage means that Westminster’s sales tax will increase by 0.05%. That tax will provide an estimated $8 million dollars annually, the authors of the measure say, and help close a budget gap that the city is facing.
How we got here
This isn’t Westminster's first rodeo when it comes to trying to increase its sales tax. In 2016, voters passed Measure SS, which raised the local sales tax by 1%. In 2022, 70% of voters approved a measure that would keep that 1% tax increase active until March 31, 2043, to fund city services. If the 2022 measure hadn’t passed, cuts to the city budget could have closed parks, caused layoffs and eliminated youth and senior centers.
The city is currently facing a nearly $9 million deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
More Election Results
City of Huntington Beach
City of Irvine
City of Westminster
Orange County
- Board of Supervisors District 1 | Board of Supervisors District 3 | U.S. House District No. 45 | U.S. House District 47
California proposition
Over the years, other city revenue ideas such as electronic billboards, a new gas station and establishing vendor kiosks at the Civic Center have failed to gain council support.
Why is Westminster so financially unstable? Prop. 13 may be to blame, because it locked the city into lower property tax returns decades ago. Another cause could be a historic over-reliance on state redevelopment funds, according to the Los Angeles Times. Critics also blame the city council for not doing a better job of managing the fiscal crisis.
What's next
The Secretary of State is slated to certify the final primary results on April 12.
Tracking your ballot
Use this tool at the Orange County Registrar of Voters to track the status of your ballot, and more.
