In Long Beach, voting twice in same election seems 'weird'

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Labor activist Dolores Huerta, left, L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina and supervisor candidate Hilda Solis cheer during Solis’ election night party at the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 300 hall in El Monte. (David McNew / For The Times)

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Long Beach mayoral candidate Robert Garcia greets supporters at the Queen Mary on election night as votes are tallied. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Retired undersheriff and sheriff’s candidate Paul Tanaka and supporters watch a TV report on the election results while gathered at Cherrystones Grill in Gardena. (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Times)

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Long Beach mayoral candidate Damon Dunn, left, greets supporter Thaddeus Jackson at The Grand in Long Beach as they await election returns. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Bobby Shriver, left, daughter Natasha Hunt Lee and wife, Malissa Shriver, greet the crowd during the L.A. County Board of Supervisors candidate’s election night party at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Santa Monica. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Carolyn Bloch, left, and Carol Bloch, of West Hills support Bobby Shriver during his election night party in Santa Monica. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Ted Lieu with wife, Betty, arrives at the Proud Bird restaurant near LAX for his election night party. He is running for U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman’s seat in the 33rd Congressional District. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Outsider candidate Jim McDonnell, greeting a supporter at his election night party Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles, finished well ahead of the field in the race for L.A. County sheriff. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari speaks to supporters at his election night party in Corona del Mar. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Supporters of gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly pray during election night at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly appeared with his wife, Rowena, as polls were closing at his election night party at the Roosevelt Hotel. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Assistant Sheriff James Hellmold, center, and his son Jacob meet Lorraine McCann after Hellmold’s son cast his vote at a polling place in unincorporated Los Angeles County near Covina, Calif. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Voters cast their ballots inside a garage in Los Angeles County. (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Times)

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Anjoum Agrama, left, 19, of Los Angeles, has her photo taken with Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors candidate Sheila Kuehl during her election night party in Santa Monica. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari, center, holds hands with his girlfriend, Christine Ong, as he walks to cast his vote on Tuesday in Laguna Beach. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Lasbia Batista gives a haircut to Jose Bejarano, right, as voters fill out their ballots during election day voting at Utah’s Barber Shop. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Holly Stenson of Venice is a lone voter at the Los Angeles County Lifeguard station in Venice (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Kevin Gallagher of Venice talks to a poll worker after he arrived on his skateboard at the Venice lifeguard polling station to cast his ballot. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Tonka, 6, waits for his owners, Michael Brunt and Patrick Marston, and their friend Michael Arnone as they vote at the Venice lifeguard polling station. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Franca Paganucci’s dog keeps her company as she votes at Saint Anne Catholic Church. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Democratic candidate for Congress Wendy Greuel stops to chat with a group of voters while on an election day campaign stop at the Farmers Market off Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. Greuel is running for Henry Waxman’s seat in the 33rd congressional district. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Democratic candidate for Congress Wendy Greuel gets her picture taken with Rev. John Cager during a campaign stop on election day at the Farmers Market off Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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California Gov. Jerry Brown leaves a polling area after casting his vote Tuesday in Oakland. At left is his wife, Anne Gust. (Ben Margot / Associated Press)

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A lifeguard enters the polling location at the Venice lifeguard station as Californians cast ballots in races for governor and numerous other public offices. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A voter casts a ballot at Super Suds laundromat in Long Beach. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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“I Voted” stickers wait for voters at Super Suds laundromat in Long Beach. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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Voters cast ballots at Super Suds laundromat in Long Beach. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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Jim McDonnell, a candidate for Los Angeles County sheriff, and his daughter Megan vote at International City Masonic Temple in Long Beach. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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A lone voter at International City Masonic Temple in Long Beach casts his ballot. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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Briana Knabe, center, is flanked by her children Kyla, 3, and Kaden, 5, while voting at International City Masonic Temple in Long Beach on Tuesday. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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Malari Swierenga votes while her son, Samuel, 2, left, waits inside the Harbor Chevrolet showroom in Long Beach. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

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California gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly grabs election signs after casting his ballot at the Lake Arrowhead Country Club on Tuesday morning. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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California gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly, right, shown with his wife, Rowena, and his son, Daniel, casts his ballot at the Lake Arrowhead Country Club on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors candidate Bobby Shriver, sporting his “I Voted” sticker, leaves Carlthorp School in Santa Monica after casting his ballot. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors candidate Bobby Shriver talks to NBC-TV Channel 4 on Tuesday as his dog, Jack, tries to compete for attention and as Shriver’s 5-year-old daughter, Rosemary, looks on. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

By Ruben VivesStaff Writer

June 3, 2014 3:33 PM PT

Long Beach residents who went to the polls Tuesday said they found it strange, though only slightly inconvenient, to be voting twice in the same election.

“It was pretty weird,” admitted Jennifer Doyle, a 10-year resident of the port city who cast her ballots -- one for the city election, the other for the general primary -- at the Super Suds laundromat.

Still, Doyle said turnout was so light at the laundromat that voting twice was relatively painless.

“It was pretty easy,” Doyle said.

Unlike nearby Torrance, where the city combined local elections with the county and statewide ballot, Long Beach asked voters to use separate ballots and dubbed election day “two-vote Tuesday.”

The city elections in Long Beach are considered historic because voters will select a new mayor, city attorney and fill five of the six council seats.

At Beach City Auto Detail, Azucena Goussen, 62, said it was the first time she’d been asked to vote twice in a single election.

Goussen said she did have concerns about the cost of having two separate elections on the same day. In Long Beach, municipal ballots will be tallied by the city, while the primary ballots will be handled by the county.

“Wouldn’t it make sense to do it all at once?” she said.

Making time for multiple ballots wasn’t an issue for Goussen, though.

“I’m retired, so I don’t have to worry about time,” she said. “But if I was working, it would make a major factor to me because of the time constraint.”

She added: “I would still vote because it’s important to me, but I wouldn’t like it.”

Sitting nearby, Mark Markgraf, 51, said it wasn’t an issue for him.

The 14-year Long Beach resident, like many others, said he voted by mail.

“It was very simple,” he said, adding that he didn’t have a problem having to vote twice.