Wedrell James has fond memories of San Francisco City Hall.

His father worked as a custodian in the building, and James remembers walking down the marbled halls with him, listening to stories about the workings of local government.

“So I have a great feeling about this place,” said James, 71. “My parents always voted, so it was just something I grew up with.”

James, a resident of the city’s Bayview neighborhood, returned to those same marbled halls on Thursday to cast his ballot in favor of California’s Proposition 50 .

He characterized the ballot measure as a fight for the future of democracy itself.

“ They’re trying to steal our government from us. And if we don’t do something, we’re going to lose it,” James said.

Across the Bay Area and beyond, Californians will turn o

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