Davis’ Measure V for Village Farms fails as remaining ballots can’t erase deficit
Measure V’s narrow path to victory has effectively closed, as Yolo County election data show there are not enough remaining ballots to erase the measure’s deficit.
The measure, which would have authorized the 498-acre, 1,800-home Village Farms development on the northern edge of Davis, trailed by 238 votes in Tuesday’s election update with more than 99% of ballots counted.
Yolo County reported 390 ballots still to be counted and 385 ballots rejected because of signature issues. County data obtained through a public records request show only 113 of the rejected ballots came from Davis, making it virtually impossible for the measure to make up the difference even if most remaining ballots favor the project.
Most of the 113 rejected Davis ballots came from precincts closest to the UC Davis campus. Precinct-level data show that the measure performed better in central and west Davis than in precincts closer to the proposed development site north of East Covell Boulevard.
A Sacramento Bee analysis found 58 rejected ballots came from precincts where more than half of voters supported Measure V, and another 28 were from precincts where the measure trailed by less than 1 percentage point. The other 27 rejected ballots came from precincts that opposed the measure by at least 55%.
A significant number of rejected ballots came from voters in their 20s and early 30s, age groups more likely to support the measure, the Yes on Measure V campaign said earlier in the vote-counting process. During the first two weeks after the election, the campaign encouraged voters to check their ballot status online, but supporters grew increasingly pessimistic as the count progressed.
Ballots that arrived closer to Election Day were counted later and generally favored Measure V. The most recent update showed 56% support for the measure, up from just under 48% on election night.
Even if the remaining uncounted and curable ballots broke proportionally in favor of the measure, it would still lose by fewer than 200 votes — less than 1%, but more than the half-percentage-point margin at which a recount is recommended.
Supporters argued Village Farms would help the city and the Davis Joint Unified School District, both of which face budget challenges expected to last for years. Voters will consider the 1,250-unit Willowgrove Project in November.
The next results update is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Voters have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, to correct rejected ballots. The county then has until July 2 to certify the results.
Any voter can request and pay for a recount after certification, but Measure V’s backers do not believe a recount would change the outcome.
