Election 2012: Alameda County Voters Face A Long Ballot of Candidates and Measures

Alameda County voters will face a ballot of state propositions, state office seekers, school board hopefuls, city candidates and local measures when they go to the polls on Tuesday.

Oh yes, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are on the ballot, too.

Patch will provide complete coverage of the voting as it unfolds on Election Day. We'll also have up-to-the-minute election results beginning at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

There's no official prediction on what voter turnout in Alameda County will be. Contra Costa County officials are estimating an 82 percent turnout.

In November 2010, 61 percent of eligible voters in Alameda County cast ballots. One-third of eligible voters used mail-in ballots.

In 2008, 78 percent of eligible Alameda County voters cast ballots. About 40 percent of eligible voters used mail-in ballots.

In 2008, 78 percent of Alameda County voters voted for President Obama while 19 percent chose Republican John McCain.

This November, Alameda County residents are choosing from a myriad of issues and candidates, depending on where they live.

There are three congressional elections in which at least part of the district is in Alameda County.

The most high profile race is the 15th congressional district in which Dublin City Councilman Eric Swalwell is trying to unseat fellow Democrat Pete Stark, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1972. In 2008, Stark received 76 percent of the vote in Alameda County. In 2010, he got 71 percent.

The congressional district covers Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Union City, Hayward and part of Fremont.

There are also two state Senate races and five state Assembly contests within the county.

The 18th Assembly district race pits Alameda vice mayor Rob Bonta against Peralta Community College District trustee Abel Guillen.

In the Hayward City Councilman Bill Quirk and optometrist Jennifer Ong are vying to represent that newly drawn district.

A hotly contested battle is going in the Alameda County Board of Supervisors' second district. Four candidates are vying for the seat vacated by Nadia Lockyer. They are Union City Mayor Mark Green, state Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, retired deputy sheriff Mark Turnquist and incumbent Richard Valle, who was apppointed to the seat in June.

There are nine school districts with board elections. Among them are Castro Valley, Dublin Unified, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, New Haven Unified and San Lorenzo.

Nine cities are also holding municipal elections. Among them are Union City, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Dublin, Fremont, Oakland and Berkeley.

In addition, there are 22 local measures on the ballot.

Measure B1 would extend Alameda County's current half-cent sales tax hike and add an additional half-cent to help pay for transportation projects. It needs two-thirds approval.

Measure A1 would is a 25-year parcel tax that would raise money for the Oakland Zoo. It too needs a two-thirds approval.