Measure J enjoying strong support: 49ers new stadium appears to be passing a big hurdle

Although there are plenty of precincts that have not reported, the general consensus at this point is that Measure J, in support of the 49ers potential new stadium down in Santa Clara, is going to pass. I took a year of political science classes in college in Washington, DC, and have a bunch of friends who work in the political arena, and I still don't understand how the whole process works when they call a race with only a small percentage of precincts reported.

At this point, with 15,000+ ballots counted (likely more by the time you read this), the 49ers stadium measure is getting over 60% support, which generally is a good indicator. 49ers.com has its own election coverage, so feel free to check in there throughout the night and into the morning.

Assuming this has in fact gone through, the 49ers have cleared a significant hurdle in their efforts to get a new football stadium built. Of course, the next step is finding a sufficient amount of cash to get it built. The 49ers are paying for a sizable chunk of this deal and will be looking to a variety of parties to get it covered. This includes general sponsors, a naming rights deal, and personal seat licenses.

York indicated the plan is to start construction in 2012, with an opening kick-off in 2014. That's certainly a ways off, but that gives them time to round up the necessary financial support for the deal. As always, we'll certainly have plenty of coverage in the coming days, months, and really, years ahead.