/

Here’s How The Bay Area Made a Unique Mark in the Elections in California

4 mins read

California has already settled its votes and declared precise results on several races and propositions in one of the United States’ tightest presidential elections.

However, comparing the Bay Area with the rest of the state, the unofficial results for the presidential race and some crucial ballot measures take an entirely different aspect.

The majority of the state’s counties leaned towards Joe Biden, with San Francisco being the highest with 86.1% to Trump’s 12.3%. However, there were also support for the Republican candidate in the northernmost counties and a few in the state’s eastern and central parts. The highest comes with Lassen County’s 72.8% for Trump and 25.8% for Biden.

The presidential election was much more closely-knit in other counties, where Stanislaus showed a 53% support for Biden and 45.4% for Trump, Riverside with 55.1% in favor of Biden against Trump’s 43.5%, and Orange with Biden at 53.8% and Trump at 44.5%.

Several measures also observe a close gap between voters, including Proposition 22, which classifies app-based drivers for Uber, Lyft, and others, as independent contractors rather than employees. The firms’ fundings for their campaign helped lean the election towards their favor as 58.4% chose yes, and only 41.6% voted no.

Out of California’s 58 counties, only nine opposed the proposition, concentrated on the northern coast. The area is home to the headquarters of most of the rideshare companies that supported the legislation. The region saw the highest “no” vote in the state, reaching 59.7%, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

This year’s elections have also shown a historic number of turnouts, reaching 22 million voters registering in California. Political Data Inc.’s Paul Mitchell said that the turnout would undeniably be a record number, overtaking every election in the state’s history.

Democratic California has generally been against Trump as the state is home to what most call the “Trump resistance.” It is also where the Republican candidate lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by more than four million votes.

While battleground states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania wait to see whether Biden or Trump takes the lead, California residents are more inclined to ask how many votes the business titan would lose by.

Recently, the Berkeley IGS Poll conducted a study that showed Biden leading against Trump by a 36-point margin. If the gap stays, California could see the largest victory margin in a presidential election since 1920, as well as the most massive Democratic win in the state’s history, the NBC Bay Area reported.

Residents of the Bay Area erupted in cheers when reports said that former Vice-President Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States. On Saturday, news showed that Biden had gained a decisive lead in Pennsylvania, granting him the needed electoral votes to get past 270, and making him president-elect.

San Francisco locals were heard honking in their cars and cheering from their homes when confirmation of the news was released. Within the Castro neighborhood, residents were seen dancing along the streets in joy.

One resident, Ariel Ajagu, expressed his absolute delight after hearing the reports, saying a massive weight was lifted from their shoulders. He added that citizens of the nation had greater power than the politicians they elected.

The Golden Gate Bridge was also filled with demonstrators who rallied with the message “protect the vote.” However, after the announcement, the protesters quickly turned to celebrations for the Democrats’ projected presidency win.

However, reporter Dan Noyes walked across the event area and noticed that some people in the crowd shared opposing views to the reports of an apparent Democrat win, ABC7 News reported.

Danielle Joyce Ong

Danielle is a local journalist with a passion for exploring stories related to crime and politics. When Danielle isn't busy writing or reading, she is usually exploring the great outdoors and all the hiking trails in the Bay.