LA County misprints 78,000 ballots for Santa Monica, Malibu voters. What happens next?

Voters in Santa Monica and Malibu should double-check their ballots for a mistake related to local school funding measures.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is asking voters to approve funding to repair and renovate schools. L.A. County misprinted about 78,000 ballots bound for that district.

Voters will see two school funding measures — Measure QS and Measure MM — but can only vote on one or the other, depending on where they live.

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How do I know what I’m supposed to vote on?

The district is separated into two "School Facilities Improvement Districts" — one for Santa Monica, the other for Malibu. Measure QS is a school bond specific to Santa Monica. Malibu residents will vote on the bond known as Measure MM. Some voters in an unincorporated area near Topanga will also vote on Measure MM.

Here's a map:

Residents in SFID #1 (Santa Monica) are meant to vote on Measure QS, while residents in SFID #2 (Malibu) are meant to vote on Measure MM.

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Courtesy SMMUSD

)

What exactly are we voting on?

They’re school bonds — basically a loan that a school district takes out — that property owners in that school district pay back through property taxes. School districts rely on statewide and local bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction.

• Measure QS: $495 million for Santa Monica schools 
• Measure MM: $395 million for Malibu schools

Here's an explainer: What is a bond? Why am I always being asked to vote for one?

Who’s impacted?

The mistake affects about 78,000 voters that live within the boundaries of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

“We take full responsibility for this error,” said Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan in a statement. “Although we cannot modify the voting materials at this stage, we will ensure that only votes cast by eligible voters within the defined [School Facilities Improvement District] boundaries are reported and certified. The election results will not include votes from outside these specific areas.”

How will my vote be affected?

You can only vote for the measure associated with where you live; any votes for the misprinted bond will not count.

People with questions can contact the county’s voting authority at (800) 815-2666.