Voters going to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7 – or sending in their vote-by-mail ballots before that time – will decide on just a couple of local races this Election Day.

Two seats are being contested in the Oakdale Irrigation District. In OID Division 2, incumbent Herman Doornenbal Jr., a farmer, is facing a challenge from rancher Don Taro. The seat covers territory in both Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. For the Division 5 seat available, rancher Grover Francis and farmer Brad DeBoer are vying to fill the post. It was vacated by former OID Director Gary Osmundson when he moved from the area.

In the only other contested race in the area, two candidates are seeking to fill one unexpired term on the Valley Home School Board, with Erin Wells, a registered dental hygienist and Mary Beth Carpenter, a student/agricultural foreman, in the running.

Local residents will also be asked to consider Measure S – a measure that would extend the existing one-eighth cent sales tax, designated to support local libraries, including the Oakdale branch.

According to information provided by the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters, approval of Measure S would provide for maintaining local library funding, with money that could not be used for other purposes and could not be taken by the state.

It would help keep local library branches open and help provide programs for all ages, as well as allow for the continued purchase of new materials, from books to DVDs to reference materials.

If two-thirds of voters approve of Measure S, the library sales tax would extend for another 12 years, effective July 1, 2018. An oversight committee is in place to see that the money raised is used appropriately. It is anticipated to generate $10 million annually for the libraries in Stanislaus County.

Polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7 open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.