Today Is The First Day To Apply For Absentee Ballots

The Contra Costa County Elections Department is now accepting applications for absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election.

Those wishing to receive a vote-by-mail ballot can apply through the department's website or by visiting the elections office at 555 Escobar St. in Martinez.

The last day to apply is Oct. 29.

If you're not registered to vote, the last day to register is Oct. 21.

The only Lamorinda item on the ballot is Measure B, a proposed school parcel tax in Moraga. If approved, the measure would levy a $192 per parcel on residents within the Moraga School District for six years. It needs two-thirds approval to pass.

Another parcel tax was on the Moraga ballot in May 2012. Measure A would have instituted a $225 parcel tax with no sunset clause. It received 65 percent of the vote, falling just short of 66.7 percent required.

In 2004, Moraga voters approved Measure K with 66.8 percent of the vote, just above the two-thirds requirement. That measure levied a $325 annual parcel tax. It raises $1.8 million each year for the school district.