ELECTION DAY COVERAGE: At the polls in Richmond — ‘I vote every time there is an election’

As polls opened across Richmond — kicking off an anxiety-riddled Election Day for many voters — Nina Marie Thompson approached the Nevin Community Center polling site with a confident stride and a smile.

“I understand that as a Black person and as a woman, I stand on the shoulders of those who marched for our rights to even be able to vote and have our voice heard. So I vote every time there is an election,” said Thompson, who lives in District 1. “I don’t care what kind of election it is, and my children do the same thing.”

City Council, District 1 boasts the most crowded field —  with Jamelia Brown and Mark Wassberg challenging incumbent Melvin Willis, who is backed by the Richmond Progressive Alliance.  

Thompson said she cast her ballot for Jamelia Brown because she wanted to see change in City Council. 

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In the crisp November air outside the Hilltop Community Church polling station, voters filled out their ballots with efficiency. Among them was Virgtrese McGee, who said that, as a mother and a woman of color, voting in this election feels like contributing to what could be a momentous event.

“It’s a very historical moment for me as a Black woman, being able to witness such excitement around the possibility of having a woman of color in office. It would mean everything,” McGee said. “I’m raising a daughter, she’s 15 — it just shows the progress we made, and the potential there is for our girls of color.”

Many residents, like artist and Iron Triangle resident Kevin Mathieu, were excited to have exercised their right to vote. He cast his for presidential candidate Kamala Harris and sketched a cartoon of that vote being made by a cat.

“It’s currently the last right we have, the only power one has. It makes a difference,” Mathieu said. “If it wasn’t important, so much money wouldn’t be spent to try and influence our vote, modify us, etcetera.”

In addition to choosing who to vote for, residents also have the choice of how to vote in future local elections. In the 2020 presidential election 43 million Americans cast their vote by mail, according to data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the same election, 87% of Californians voted by mail according to the California Secretary of State. 

Retiree Eleanor Torres chose to cast her vote in-person instead of at the mailbox. “I wanted to feel the energy of the day,” she said. “ I feel like mailing it … you mail it weeks in advance. I don’t feel like the participation is 100% versus coming in.” 

But mailing in ballots can also increase accessibility of elections for voters who may not be able to make it to their polling stations. 

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El Sobrante resident Roberta Jalbert told Richmond Confidential she’s been voting by mail since she was 18 because it allows her to participate in elections even when she’s busy.

“Absentee ballot, to me, is the way to go, and I’m happy to have the drop boxes so I don’t have to put it in the mail. That always worried me, putting my ballot in the mail,” Jalbert said. “So it’s a great system. I love the drop box.” 

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Ira Christian came to the Nevin Community Center to cast his vote for Willis, citing the council member’s track record. Christian is the brother of Otheree Christian, who is running as the incumbent candidate for the West Contra Costa Unified School District School Board Area 2 seat against challenger Guadalupe Enllana.

Brown, who running against Willis, took her ballot to Nevin Community Center and chatted with voters there shortly after the polls opened.

“The first time I ever voted was 2008. I voted for Obama, and I cast my ballot right there in the Nevin Center,” Brown said. “And so to be actually on the ballot and to be able to cast my ballot again in the Nevin Center is a full circle moment”

Brown told Richmond Confidential her campaign has volunteers stationed at all three District 1 polling locations, and is offering rides to seniors from the Hacienda Senior Community Center to cast their votes.  

“I feel at the end of this, the voters will, the residents will … have spoken. This is their city. This is their election, ” Brown said.

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East of the Iron Triangle area, Willis stood outside of the entrance to the Richmond Veterans Building, to greet those walking into the polls and ask for their support—a last minute effort that could help him grab more votes. 

Former Richmond resident Adrian Rosillo, has been volunteering for Councilman Willis since August 2024. After the Chevron settlement, Rosillo saw Willis and the RPA’s vision for Richmond, which pushed him to get more involved.  

Voters cast their ballots beginning at 7 a.m. on an election that is as pivotal for the nation as it is for Richmond, where the Richmond Progressive Alliance’s majority on the City Council is being challenged.

Voters in council Districts 1, 5 and 6 are choosing between RPA-backed candidates and those not aligned with the organization whose voice was elevated when the 2020 election tipped the council in favor of its candidates.

Outside of the City Council race, Richmond voters also will be deciding on two ballot measures. Measure J would introduce a primary election, while Measure L would implement ranked-choice voting. Sherri Rivenbark, an administrator in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, voted against ranked-choice. 

“So I just think it’s confusing for people. I’m just not a fan of trying to learn something new like that,” she said. “I like it the way it is.” 

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Richmond Confidential reporters will be talking to voters at polls across the city and in El Cerrito. We will provide continuous updates throughout the day, including on social media. Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/RichmondConfidential), X (@riconfidential) and Instagram (@richmondconfidential).

The polls will be open until 8 p.m. The Contra Costa County Elections Division will release the first tallies, which will include mail-in ballots, shortly after polls close. The elections office will release the next batch of votes at 9:30 p.m. and the night’s final batch at 1:30 a.m. But only about half of the votes will be tabulated on election night. Mail-in ballots will be accepted for days afterward, as long as they were posted by Nov. 5.

At 5 p.m. Friday, the county will release more results, and it will continue to do so every Friday until the votes are finalized and certified on Dec. 3.

Richmond Confidential will post the results as they come in. You also can track them on the county’s election webpage, and through the county’s social media sites: on X under the hashtag #cocovote, and on Facebook. In addition, results will be reported on Contra Costa Television, which is on Comcast channel 27, Astound channel 32 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99.

Jasmine Ascencio, Mitchell Hoy, Victor Ochienng and Bryan Wen contributed to this story.

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