Certified Oakland special election results confirm Barbara Lee as mayor and approval of sales tax measure
Certified vote totals released for April 15, 2025 Oakland special election
Certified final results have been released for Oakland’s April 15, 2025 special municipal election, a citywide vote that filled a short-term mayoral vacancy, selected a short-term City Council member for District 2, and decided a local revenue measure.
The election was administered under ranked-choice voting (RCV) for mayor and the District 2 council seat, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The certified statement of vote reports 250,800 registered voters in Oakland and 95,046 ballots cast, for a citywide turnout of 37.90%.
Mayoral race: Barbara Lee elected under ranked-choice voting
In the certified RCV tally for Mayor (short term), Barbara Lee was elected. The certified statement lists 47,122 first-choice votes for Lee and 42,342 first-choice votes for Loren Taylor, the second-highest first-choice total among the candidates. The remaining first-choice votes were distributed among other candidates in the field.
Because the contest used RCV, the certified result reflects the full tabulation process in which lower-ranked candidates are eliminated and ballots are transferred based on next valid preferences until a winner is determined.
Citywide turnout was 37.90%, with 95,046 ballots cast out of 250,800 registered voters.
City Council District 2: Kara Murray-Badal wins short-term seat
The certified results show Kara Murray-Badal elected to the City Council District 2 short-term seat. District 2 reported 34,057 registered voters and 13,097 ballots cast, for a turnout of 38.46%.
In first-choice votes reported in the certified canvass, Murray-Badal led with 5,845 votes, followed by Charlene Wang with 4,205 and Harold Lowe III with 1,362. Other first-choice totals included Matoury Kanitha (554), Paula F.L. Thomas (260), Rev. Kenneth Anderson (239), and additional candidates listed in the certified report.
Measure A: Oakland voters approve a local sales tax measure
Voters also decided Measure A, a city measure presented to Oakland voters in the same special election. The certified results show Measure A passed, with 57,485 votes in favor and 31,026 votes against. The certified report also records 5 overvotes and 6,530 undervotes for the measure.
What “certified” means and what happens next
Certification indicates the official completion of the canvass, including verification steps such as counting eligible vote-by-mail ballots received by the deadline, reconciling precinct materials, and finalizing tabulation under applicable state and local election rules. With certification complete, the results become the official outcome of the April 15, 2025 special election and provide the formal basis for swearing-in and implementation steps tied to the offices and measure approved by voters.
- Oakland registered voters: 250,800
- Ballots cast: 95,046
- Turnout: 37.90%
- Mayor (short term) elected: Barbara Lee
- District 2 (short term) elected: Kara Murray-Badal
- Measure A: Approved (Yes 57,485; No 31,026)