The final votes are being cast today to determine the future of Huntington Beach’s libraries, including who gets to decide what books go inside and where they can be accessed. 

The special election comes after two years of frequent debate over the direction of the library, with city council members claiming pornographic material is easily accessible to children while  volunteers and some patrons insist their claims are an attempt to censor what books are available. 

[Read: Huntington Beach Creates Panel To Decide What Books Go Into City Library]

Voters are now deciding if city leaders can move forward with their restricted section of the library through Measure A, and on whether or not the city can create a proposed 21-person committee that will review books and whether or not they’re appropriate. 

A separate measure on the same ballot, dubbed Measure B, would also block the city council from privatizing the library’s operations, which city council members attempted to do last year before it fell apart due to public backlash. 

[Read: Huntington Beach Library Privatization Efforts Fizzle Out After Public Pushback]

The debate has turned into one of Huntington Beach’s most expensive elections, with the city spending over a million dollars to host it while proponents and opponents of each measure collectively spent over $400,000 on advertising their views. 

[Read: Parents Object to ‘Protect Our Kids From Porn’ Signs in Huntington Beach]

City Council members have also called for a wave of investigations against their opponents, including a nonprofit that helps fund the library and the Ocean View Elementary School District school board, which came out in favor of both ballot measures and directed the superintendent to send the resolution of support to parents. 

[Read: HB Council Moves to Probe Ocean View School Board, Who Say Effort is Potentially Illegal]

Polls in Huntington Beach close at 8 p.m Tuesday.

The final results of the election are scheduled to be ratified by the Fourth of July.

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.