Topline:
We're bringing you live results in the special election that will see Huntington Beach voters decide on two ballot measures governing the city's beloved public libraries.
What's the election about? Voters are being asked whether they want to overturn a committee of City Council appointees charged with reviewing children’s books and determining whether they’re appropriate. (Critics have called the committee censorship, and say that job should be left to the librarians.) Voter are also being asked whether they want to make it harder for the city to try to sell or outsource management of the city’s public libraries.
What is this special election really about? Depends upon who's answering the question. The libraries have become a flashpoint in the traditionally conservative beach town with some arguing that kids have access to sexually explicit books while others say the real target is books with diverse viewpoints, including LGBTQ themes and characters.
Read on .... to see where the election results stand after the polls close Tuesday night. We'll continue to bring you updated results until the election is called.
Update: Huntington Beach voters push back at the polls against efforts to politicize the city's beloved libraries
ABOUT THE VOTE COUNT
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About the vote count
- It could take several days for this election to be called. As you watch these results keep in mind:
- There are just over 136,000 registered voters in Huntington Beach.
- Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by today and received by your county's registrar by June 17.
- The election is scheduled to be certified no later than July 4.
- A measure must win more than 50% of the vote in order to be successful.
- You can click here to track your ballot and make sure it gets counted in Orange County.
We're bringing you live results in the special election that will see Huntington Beach voters decide on two ballot measures governing the city's beloved public libraries.
What's at stake?
With Measure A, voters are being asked whether they want to overturn a committee of City Council appointees charged with reviewing children’s books and determining whether they’re appropriate. (Critics have called the committee censorship, and say that job should be left to the librarians.)
With Measure B, voters are also being asked whether they want to make it harder for the city to try to sell or outsource management of the city’s public libraries.
Why it matters
The libraries have become a flashpoint in the traditionally conservative beach town with a proudly all-MAGA city council. Those who want more control over the libraries argue that kids have access to sexually explicit books while others say the real target is books with diverse viewpoints, including LGBTQ themes and characters.
Controversy over 'PORN' signs
In the run-up to the special election, supporters of the book review board posted campaign signs around Huntington Beach reading “Protect our kids from PORN.” The complaints began immediately, to schools, city leaders, and in online forums. Some were torn down, some were vandalized, some remain.
One scathing comment on a local Facebook page directed at City Councilmember Chad Williams reads: “Chad Williams got a whole city full of kids googling ‘What is Porn’ on their smart phones, exposing them to more images online than any books in the library ever will.”
Williams defended the signs as a campaign tactic.
“The bottom line is there’s pornography that’s available to minors in our public library,” he told LAist at the time. “I’m not going to dance around the subject, it needs to be addressed.”
Books cited by critics as too sexually explicit for children include stories about queer identity and books about sex education and puberty.
Go deeper on the issue: The LAist guide to Huntington Beach’s special election on public libraries
