UPDATED NOVEMBER 5 — FIVE-COUNTY COMBINED VOTE THROUGH NOVEMBER 4 AT 7 P.M. The KQED Bay Area election results now list 737,398 Yes votes (61.7%) and 456,356 No (38.2%) on Regional Transit Measure RTM, a combined five-county lead of 281,042 Yes votes. The earlier 708,996-to-443,928 count below is an older snapshot, not the newest reported figure. The proposal is voted on across San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties; it should not be reported as though every county needed to pass its own separate version. The 7 p.m. November 4 totals are preliminary and subject to further canvass, not certified.
Earlier November 4 overnight tally
CALIFORNIA — November 4, 2026. Voters in five Bay Area counties are considering a regional sales tax to support public transportation. Preliminary returns show a Yes majority for Regional Transit Measure RTM, but the combined election result is not yet certified.
Early combined results
According to KQED’s results snapshot updated at 12:59 a.m. Pacific on November 4, Yes had 708,996 votes (61.4%), compared with 443,928 No votes (38.5%). The reported difference was 265,068 votes. The reported totals combine votes from participating jurisdictions; these figures are not the vote breakdown for any single city or county.
Where the proposal applies
RTM covers San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. As described in the measure, it would establish a 1% sales tax in San Francisco and a 0.5% sales tax in the other four counties for 14 years.
Which transit systems would receive support?
The measure is projected to raise approximately $1 billion annually for operations at major transit agencies including BART, AC Transit, Caltrain and Muni, as well as transit-route improvements, accessibility and passenger information programs. That annual figure is an estimate, not revenue already collected.
The measure passes with a simple majority of the combined vote across the five participating counties. It is not decided by whether every county individually reaches 50%. County election officials will continue counting ballots before certification.
Sources: KQED, Regional Transit Measure RTM vote count and voter guide; KQED 2026 election results. Figures reflect the stated November 4 reporting snapshot.
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