Voters head to the polls early on election day

The opinion that politicians are doing a decent job may not be widely heard, but that was the view of Sharon Pruhs, the first voter in line at Ramona Hall in Highland Park. She mostly voted for incumbents Tuesday morning, including Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

Not that the 76-year-old self-described independent’s endorsement was resounding.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re doing an OK job,” Pruhs said.

She said she did some homework in preparing to cast her ballot. Pruhs said she studied the candidates’ backgrounds and the propositions, listened to NPR and tuned in to debates. But some of her choices involved a fair amount of feeling. She said she voted for Prop. 48, which would allow Indian tribes to build casinos off reservations “probably out of guilt.”

Pruhs said she voted against Prop. 47, an attempt to ease prison crowding by reducing the penalties for people convicted of nonviolent crimes — as long as they don’t have previous convictions for serious and violent crimes.

“I know that we have to get rid of overcrowding, but I don’t think that letting people out is the answer,” she said.

At a polling place at a Diamond Bar golf course, Bob Mazawey, 65 and a registered Republican, said he cast his vote for Neel Kashkari for governor. He said Brown has had more than enough chances, though he said he wasn’t optimistic about Kashkari beating the heavily-favored incumbent.

“I think any time you have an individual that’s been re-elected four times, and not much has been done, it’s time for something to change,” said Mazawey, who added that Brown’s father also “did nothing” when he was governor.

At a polling place in a recreation center in El Sereno, Gregoria Palacios cast her ballot as she has every election since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2000. The 75-year-old declined to say who she voted for, but she said she felt it was her civic duty to vote.

“If we don’t like something, by voting we can make a difference,” the registered Democrat said. “We can change laws and propositions.”

At the same polling station, Ellen Herbert, 54, said she initially went to the wrong place to cast her vote before figuring it out. She said she didn’t vote for certain offices if she felt she “wasn’t informed enough.”

“That’s my rule of thumb. Rather than vote a straight party ticket, if I don’t know anything about the candidate, I probably won’t vote,” Herbert said.

But she said she wouldn’t think of not turning out to vote.

“I’m very sad when I hear that today in California they’re anticipating less than 50% turnout,” Herbert said. “It’s a huge problem. We have to vote. It’s our voice... Voting is like breathing.”

Twitter: @brittny_mejia