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Measure V continued to gain ground Friday, narrowing its deficit to 270 votes and underscoring how sharply divided Davis voters remain over the proposed Village Farms development.
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The ballot initiative would authorize the 1,800-unit, 498-acre project north of East Covell Boulevard. After Yolo County added roughly 5,400 ballots to its tally Friday, the measure gained a net 168 votes.
With about 1,000 ballots left to count and hundreds of signature-cure ballots still outstanding, the outcome remained too close to call.
The initiative, Measure V, was opposed by 50.6% of Davis voters and supported by 49.4%, a difference of just 270 votes.
Despite the “razor-thin margin,” Measure V’s backers still had “a sliver of hope,” said Sandy Whitcomb, a member of the Village Farms development team.
Measure V was trailing by just 2.6 percentage points before the update and is now behind by 1.2. The measure was down by about 4% in the first batch of results after polls close. Its backers anticipated the early vote would not break their way, but ballots cast on Election Day would turn the tide.
Precinct-level data showed that the measure faced its steepest opposition in areas closest to the proposed development site — east of the railroad tracks and in areas of north, east and south Davis. Voters in central and west Davis generally favored the measure.
The measure’s failure could worsen the financial outlook for both the city and school district, which viewed Measure V as a way to boost funding and avoid disruptive budget cuts. The Davis Joint Unified School District estimated Village Farms would bring more than 1,000 students to Davis schools and could help stave off school closures.
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Davis itself faces a budget deficit projected to last for years. Village Farms developers estimated the project would add more than $1 billion to the city’s property tax roll.
The debate over growth in Davis is unlikely to end with Measure V. The Willowgrove project proposes 1,250 units on a site north of Covell Boulevard and east of the Village Farms site.
Yolo County experienced higher-than-usual primary turnout, according to elections officials. A significant portion of ballots arrived on or after Election Day, which could be linked to voters waiting until the last minute to vote in the governor’s race.
The county still had about 1,000 ballots to count, and about 350 signature-cure ballots remained outstanding, but it was unclear how many of those ballots came from Davis.
The campaign believes the majority of rejected Davis ballots came from voters younger than 50, and many were younger than 34, said Sandy Whitcomb of the Village Farms development team. Younger voters are more likely to support Measure V, she said.
The campaign is trying to get as many rejected ballots cured as possible.
“Every voter deserves an equal voice in our community,” Whitcomb said.
She encouraged all Davis voters to check their ballot status online: “You could be the difference,” she said.
If the measure falls short, any registered voter could request and pay for a recount after the results are certified. Another updated vote count is scheduled for release by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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Yolo County has until July 2 to certify the results.