Behind the Scenes on Election Day
Jessica Kariisa [00:01:05] I’m Jessica Kariisa. I’m the producer of The Bay. So around 9:18 a.m., I just went for a coffee with a friend, she and myself to a crescent, and now I’m walking home through downtown San Jose. I’m going to walk through San Jose State, which I rarely have time to do, but I always want to do. And yeah, I’m just going to stroll through campus and try to relax. I see some over the yoga mat. I should probably do yoga when I get home. It’s a good idea.
Alan Montecillo [00:01:57] This is Alan Montecillo, senior editor of The Bay. It is about 10 a.m. in my house in the Sunset neighborhood in San Francisco. And I’m going to go to the library and I go drop off my ballot. Then I’m going to stick around and see if anyone wants to chat with me about how they’re feeling. Not sure what I’m going to do the day before work. Might go for a long walk in Golden Gate Park. It’s definitely going to be a long night, but I’d much rather be working than just refreshing the news all evening.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:02:33] How are you two feeling this morning?
Florence Madden [00:02:35] Tired. I’m, like, ready for this to be over. I’m glad this day is here. But I’ll be glad for it to be over and just move on to the next phase of this election aftermath.
Michele Sampson [00:02:48] Golly, I just much more draining it. Just voting with this sense of fear or dread that I never used to feel in elections. And that anticipation of is this just going to lead to violence? Is are people going to maybe lose their lives over this is ridiculous. And that that sense just permeates. Which is very frustrating because I don’t think it needs to be that way.
Alexandra Achilli [00:03:15] I’m feeling pretty positive. I have been pretty anxious and nervous leading up to today. But I woke up, you know, just feeling good and hopeful and I just got to keep thinking positive.
Alan Montecillo [00:03:34] What motivated you to vote in this election?
Alexandra Achilli [00:03:38] Women’s rights. I have daughters thinking about the future, and I want to show them that, you know, I am responsible to vote and set a good example for my daughters.
Jessica Kariisa [00:03:50] And how are you feeling today?
Veronica Moreno-Diaz [00:03:53] Excited because I got to vote, but nervous for the results and the outcome. Definitely, immigration was my number one issue. The approach toward immigrants, the dislike of by some people and promoting ideas that were not friendly to people who are immigrants. I think that was crucial. And then also the economy. Whatever outcome is going to happen. Not everybody’s going to be happy. Some people will, but not everybody.
Kai Noa Vedar [00:04:27] Hi, my name is Kai Noa Vedar. I’m at Oakland Tech High School trying to turn in my official election mail. This is my first time ever and I’m voting for the school board. It’s kind of crowded. Yeah. I have my. So you’re dropping it off? I mean, did you fill it in there? I have. Yes. Thank you.
Kai Noa Vedar [00:04:58] Well, that was much easier than expected. Hey. There are a few high schoolers now. School just got out, so it makes sense. Honestly, I’m kind of excited. I mean, I think that students like me should get involved, especially in our school board. So, yeah. That’s it.
Alan Montecillo [00:05:29] What are your plans for the rest of the evening? Are you going to be checking your results? Doing something else? What are your plans?
Christina Beer [00:05:34] I’m going to try and stay busy. I’m out on a bike ride. I’m going to get some library books right now and I’ll check my phone periodically. But I’m just sort of optimistically waiting.
Jessica Kariisa [00:05:45] And what are you going to be doing tonight? Will you be watching the results or staying away from it or.
Veronica Moreno-Diaz [00:05:50] No, I definitely will be watching, you know, and and praying.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:06:01] Coming up, we’ll take you into the KQED newsroom for election night. Stay with us.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:06:17] It is 4:55 and we are about to head over into the KQED newsroom where we’re going to have our first stand up meeting of the evening. It’s just going to be a gathering of everyone, all the reporters, producers, editors before everyone sort of scatters out across the Bay Area to cover various local and statewide races. And we’re just going to hear what our newsroom leaders have to say before sending us all out into the wild.
Ethan Toven-Lindsey [00:06:54] I’m going to talk about a little about 2016. I see a lot of people that were here. I had just started. But it’s this newsroom is like very different than that. And and I think it’s worth saying like we were unprepared for that evening. We were unprepared for what it was. But also, as KQED, we hadn’t built the infrastructure to actually cover the world as it was going to be. And in the end, I think that made us better. It made us better journalists, better coworkers, better friends. It made KQED better. I mean, we’re in a very different place than we were then. And I think about how we’ve learned to lean on each other, to support each other. We are resilient, we are respectful, and we provide space and support for each other. And I think we are better prepared for whatever tonight might bring. I’m really glad I get to spend tonight in this newsroom covering this election with you.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:08:00] Okay. We just had our news stand up and now we’re going to go check in with Guy Marzorati, a politics and government correspondent for KQED, and also someone who’s been sort of leading the election ship this year. So let’s go check in with him. Where’s he sitting, by the way?
Guy Marzorati [00:08:27] What’s going on Bay team! Welcome to The Hub.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:08:32] You’re in good spirits.
Alan Montecillo [00:08:33] Yeah, this is like Super Bowl Sunday. So, you know, very excited as we wait for actual results to come in and find out how all this is turning out.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:08:44] Can you tell folks like what is happening in the newsroom tonight? It’s a very full newsroom today.
Guy Marzorati [00:08:50] Yes. Full house. So we have a lot of different things going on in the Newsroom. I’ll break it down. First with our digital operation. We have election results on our website. Every single race in the Bay Area we’re covering and then lots of live updates through the night because we have reporters out in the field in San Jose and San Francisco and Oakland covering all those local races. And then the radio side where we’re starting our broadcast at the end of every hour. Once the polls close at eight, we’re going to have more broadcast going on through the night with our partners in other public radio stations in California. So a lot going on.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:09:24] And how are you balancing the local versus the national presidential stuff?
Guy Marzorati [00:09:31] So that’s that’s a good question. We’re definitely keeping an eye on the national stuff, but most of our coverage tonight will be on local races in the Bay Area, statewide races in California, those statewide propositions and then definitely having an eye on like the really close congressional races in California, because there’s a chance that California will decide control of Congress in the House of Representatives. So we could play a huge role in that. My thinking is those races, we will not know tonight. I think it could be days before we see some of those congressional races in the Central Valley and Orange County actually end up with a definitive winner. So as we say, this is election season. This is just the end of voting tonight. Results for days to come.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:10:11] Right. And have you been able to really, like, marinate on just the significance of this day?
Guy Marzorati [00:10:21] Yeah, I feel like the fact that this has stretched over now for like it’s been a month since voting started, it definitely has like sunk in. You know the significance and as people’s like attention really turns, we can see like we do the voter guide and we look at like or how many people are looking at the voter guide. And that number just kind of just goes straight up as people tune in and try to, okay, I have my ballot. It arrived at my house. Now I’m trying to get some more information on these races. So this is kind of like the culmination of all of that interest happens tonight.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:10:50] And how long do you think you will be here tonight?
Guy Marzorati [00:10:54] Wow. That’s a dangerous question. There have been times where it’s been an all nighter or I don’t know about tonight. We’ll have to see how things are coming in, because then, you know, the thing about broadcast is we’re right up next morning. Have to get on the air again. So, yeah, I’m trying to, you know, maintain a good equilibrium and not, you know, tire out in the first mile. But yeah.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:11:15] Maintain. Yes, maintain. Well, thanks so much, guy.
Guy Marzorati [00:11:19] Yeah, This can be a fun night. Can we go? Let’s go. As people are listening to this now. The night is over. But where we are right now, the night has just begun. And so, yes. The pizza hasn’t even come yet.
Alan Montecillo [00:11:33] All right, so it is 7:01 p.m.. And I was hopeful or coming back from the fourth floor, we just all walked up there and got some fresh air. 59 minutes until the California polls closed and lots of presidential states have been called like two states and pizza. It feels like we’re in the middle of the night, but it also just like we haven’t really started. I don’t know.
Scott Shafer [00:12:02] This is live election night coverage from the California newsroom. I’m Scott Shafer at KQED in San Francisco. Julia Paskin with Last joins us from Los Angeles. Throughout the night, we’ll bring you live statewide coverage at 20 minutes past the hour. Here in California, polls closed 20 minutes ago and almost immediately.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:12:20] No, the pizza has not been eaten.
Guy Marzorati [00:12:21] No, this is my for a later pizza. Yes.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:12:25] All right, guys. Well, we’re back here. It’s What time is it now? 831.
Guy Marzorati [00:12:30] And we have some results.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:12:32] The polls have closed. What do we know so far?
Guy Marzorati [00:12:35] So we know that Adam Schiff will be the next senator for California. That race was called right after polls were closed. That was pretty expected, right? Democratic state Schiff running against the Republican Steve Garvey. But we know that result right out of the bat. And then we’re getting early returns and a lot of the local elections we’re following here in the bay. The first returns coming in from the east bay on those two recalls. And we’re seeing strong support for both of them. About 64% of voters in those first returns supporting the recall of Shengtao as mayor of Oakland. And same goes for Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, about 64% supporting that. So those are super early. Basically what those results are like. People who voted before Election Day. So it’s people who either mailed in their ballot in a Dropbox, sent it back to the mail, got it in basically before today. That’s what those returns are showing as the night goes on, we’ll get more of those results and then maybe even some of the in-person results for people in Oakland and East Bay who went in to actually vote at a vote center today.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:13:34] How long would it take for us to get a really clear sense of some of these local races, like even the San Francisco mayor’s race, for example?
Guy Marzorati [00:13:42] Yeah. So I think, you know, at the end of the night, we should have a pretty good sense of a number of these elections. If there are close races, especially in like to candidate elections. You know, we’re just going to have to wait for results to trickle in to the next few days. S.F. is an interesting one because it’s ranked choice. Ranked choice definitely adds a wrinkle into like how we can follow these votes coming in.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:14:04] And when do votes stop getting counted for the night?
Guy Marzorati [00:14:09] For it depends county by county. But I think we’re expecting most counties to go pretty late into the evening counting votes and then probably a long turnaround into tomorrow for some counties as they like, you know, take a break, get some rest, come back and continue to process those ballots.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:14:34] That’s 9:36 p.m.. I’m here at senior immigration editor Tyche Hendricks desk in the KQED newsroom and take your following the ten statewide ballot propositions. What do we know of the results for those so far?
Tyche Hendricks [00:14:53] Sure. And so just to be clear, yeah, I’m not covering immigration tonight, even though that’s my title. I’m focusing on these ten ballot measures. Prop 36 has passed, which toughens up criminal penalties for some nonviolent crimes, drug possession, low level thefts like shoplifting.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:15:15] And for the rest of these ballot measures. Takeyh How soon do you think we’ll be able to call the rest of them? Do you think we’ll probably have an answer by the end of the night, or do you think we’re going to be waiting on some of these for a couple of days?
Tyche Hendricks [00:15:29] Yeah, I mean, it depends how close they are. I guess the short answer is I don’t know. But I do know that the secretary of state’s going to keep releasing results until about two in the morning and then they’re going to pick it up again tomorrow. Now, if something is very close, then the last ballots to get counted will will matter to the outcome. And California says as long as your your ballot is postmarked, if you mail it in, if it’s postmarked today, Election Day, if we get it seven days out, we’ll still count it. So we could be they can be counting ballots in a week from now. I don’t think that that’s going to affect any of these. But but it’s hard to know.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:16:25] All right, guys, it’s 10:38 p.m.. This is going to be our last time checking with you this evening because we got to wrap up this episode.
Guy Marzorati [00:16:32] It’s already been a roller coaster.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:16:33] It has. How are you doing? Good.
Guy Marzorati [00:16:36] So I feel like we have a better sense now of how things are coming in locally. Got some, like, solid returns to hang our hats on.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:16:43] Any big results statewide and locally so far?
Guy Marzorati [00:16:46] Yeah. So we have seen in the East Bay both of the recalls the one in Oakland against Mayor Shengtao, the one in county wide against district attorney Pamela Price, both getting pretty wide support in early returns. And then the other kind of local measure we’ve been watching in Sonoma County, Measure J. This has gotten a lot of attention, this measure that would really restrict animal feeding operations, large scale agriculture in the county, and that is getting cracked like an egg, that measure over 80% against it. There was a big groundswell of opposition from local businesses, the ad community there, local officials, and it seemed to have gotten through with Sonoma voters and.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:17:25] Sonoma aromas sticking around, I guess. And then what about the 16th District in California? Sam Liccardo?
Guy Marzorati [00:17:34] Yeah, this is I’ve been watching this one near and dear to my heart down in San Jose. So in this, Sam Liccardo is leading and early returns. Our colleague Joseph Geha is down there. And Liccardo, though, is not declaring victory. I think after everything that happened in the primary election, remember there was that tie for second place in the whole recount. So he’s not ready to come out and like declare victory yet. So he said, you know, he wants to wait for more results to come in. So Liccardo has a lead, but that’s the one we’re going to continue to watch.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:18:01] And last but not least, on the local stuff, Mark Farrell has dropped out of the race for mayor in San Francisco. How are things standing on that front?
Guy Marzorati [00:18:10] Yeah, So Farrell did concede and we are seeing Daniel Lurie, the nonprofit executive, continued to lead in early returns, both in the first choice votes, which is a little surprising. We thought London Breed, the incumbent, might do at least the best in first choice votes. Lurie also performing the best in that once you start running the ranked choice tabulations and redistributing votes, because really his campaign from the beginning has been about appealing to a wide variety of voters and getting those second choice votes. He is doing that, at least so far tonight.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:18:41] And then it kind of sounds like there’s not really nothing for us to do on the presidential front at this point.
Guy Marzorati [00:18:48] Yeah, I, I think, you know, we’re still waiting. Georgia was called for former President Trump. So waiting for the other swing states. There was, you know, the scene at the Harris election night party at Howard in Washington where you saw just a mass exodus, everybody going home. So definitely, like the mood there seems grim.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:19:07] And what else can we say about the the national stuff?
Guy Marzorati [00:19:11] As of now, as of now, Republicans have won control of the Senate. The House is still up in the air. We have seen some Democrats in swing districts perform well. So, you know, the chance is out there that we end up in a divided government after this election. But the House still certainly in play, especially in California, Right. Like we played, are going to play such a big role in the control of Congress. We had ten competitive seats just in California alone. None of those have been called yet. So those are still up in the air. And if the past year are any prediction like those could be the latest to be called, because 2022, there were still some California congressional elections in late November and December. So if you thought this was the election recap, you know, that’s that’s news for you. We could be at this for a little bit longer.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:19:54] And I guess, are you going home tonight or is this going to be an all nighter for you?
Guy Marzorati [00:19:58] Wow. The all nighter update. The needle is still moving towards some sleep tonight. So that’s that’s where the sleep needle is that right? Now, let’s let’s focus on that.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:20:09] All right. Guy Marzorati, politics and government correspondent for KQED. Wishing you good sleep tonight, no matter how long it is.
