Jack Harris | Writer
November 8, 2020
During the past few weeks, most of the news cycle has been dedicated to the constant drama of the presidential election, neglecting local elections. Election day has finally passed, and a winner has been declared for your local congressman and city council seats.
Not all the votes have been counted, but every news source covering the congressional election for the 49th district of California has called it for Mike Levin (D). An incumbent, Levin will begin his second term next year hoping to continue his fight against climate change and push for cleaner energy. One of his main concerns is dealing with the nuclear waste from the decommissioned power plant at San Onofre. He also hopes to improve veteran benefits for those who are stationed at Camp Pendleton.
“I wanted Bryan Maryott to win, but I am okay with Mike Levin winning,” senior Caden Burton said. “Levin seems to have a good plan for what he wants to do in the future.”
There are two city council positions currently up for grabs. First, the race for the short-term position is being led by Steve Knoblock with around 800 more votes than second-place Jim Dahl. Second, Gene James and Chris Duncan lead the race for the long-term seat, with James currently ahead by a slim 50 votes.
“I voted for Steve Knoblock and Gene James,” senior Andrew Winkler said. “Maybe my vote will be the difference for if James wins or not.”
As of election day, Orange County saw a 70 percent voter turnout, setting a new record. That number will continue to go up as the remaining votes are counted. And, as of now, there are no accusations of any voter fraud occurring in Orange County elections. This means that the need for any sort of re-count is highly unlikely, and the results we see will be final.
So, Orange County has voted its District Representative back into office, and San Clemente will finalize the results of the race for the seats on the city council. Hopefully there are great things coming for Orange County in the near future.
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