November 2012 Presidential Election

The November 2012 Presidential Election occured on Tuesday the 6th. President Barack Obama of the Democratic Party and challenger Mitt Romney of the Republican Party were the two leading candidates, and President Obama won. As usual, an assortment of controversial propositions also shared the ballot space.

This was the first election in which Californians could register to vote online — you had to register by October 22, 2012 to vote in this election. You could also check your voter registration status and polling place online, which is a good thing to do since polling places may have changed since the last time you voted. If you had chosen to vote by mail, you could also turn your mail-in ballot in at any polling place in your county on Election Day or at the elections office in your county.

This is also the first election in which Davis had been assigned to the new districts that came about as a result of the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008. This had had an impact on the eligibility of some candidates. Perhaps most notably, Mike Thompson could no longer run for re-election in our district, whereas John Garamendi could.

Measure E, Prop. 30, and Garamendi all won handily. Oh, and Barack Obama. Props. 32, 34, and 37 were rejected. Apparently, Californians like schools, unions, GMOs, and government-sponsored deaths. 78.8 percent of Davis residents cast a ballot this election, the highest percentage for any community in Yolo County.

Candidates and measures in bold were elected and approved, respectively.

U.S. Senator

• Dianne Feinstein (Democratic Party)
• Elizabeth Emken (Republican Party)

U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District

• John Garamendi (Democratic Party). 53.7% of the vote.
• Kim Vann (Republican Party). 46.3% of the vote.

State Senate, 3rd District

• Lois Wolk (Democratic Party)
• Frank Miranda (Republican Party)

State Assembly, 4th District

• Mariko Yamada (Democratic Party)
• John Munn (Republican Party)

State Propositions

• Proposition 30 — The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act
• Proposition 31 — Establishes two-year state budget.
• Proposition 32 — Prohibits unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes.
• Proposition 33 — Changes current law to allow insurance companies to set prices based on whether the driver previously carried auto insurance with any insurance company.
• Proposition 34 — Repeals death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
• Proposition 35 — Increases prison sentences and fines for human trafficking convictions. Note, this will unfairly make anyone convicted of Lewd Conduct register as a sex offender, including former prostitutes. More info here.
• Proposition 36 — Revises law to impose life sentence only when new felony conviction is serious or violent.
• Proposition 37 — Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative
• Proposition 38 — Increases taxes on earnings using sliding scale, for twelve years. Revenues go to K–12 schools and early childhood programs, and for four years to repaying state debt.
• Proposition 39 — Requires multi-state businesses to pay income taxes based on percentage of their sales in California.
• Proposition 40 — A "Yes" vote approves, and a "No" vote rejects, new State Senate districts drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Local Measures

• Measure E — Davis Joint Unified School District Special Tax Proposal. Passed with 68.9% of the vote. (2/3 required for passage)
• Measure H — A Yolo County Measure. Creation of a Department of Finance. Passed with 65.8% of the vote.

Governing Board Member, Davis Joint Unified School District

Two seats were open.