Early returns on the Oakdale Fire Protection District Measure Q show an overwhelming majority of voters rejecting the tax increase.

In results released by the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters office, the first report showed more than 70 percent ‘No’ votes as compared to just under 29 percent voting ‘Yes’ on the proposal.

Measure Q was offered on a mail-in only ballot and needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

Nearly 1,500 ballots counted on the Tuesday, May 5 special election day were against the proposed tax increase for fire protection, with just over 600 approving the proposal.

These are the preliminary numbers; look for additional information on the vote total and the full story in the May 13 issue of The Leader.