Voters Must Register by Today to Cast Ballots Oct. 7

By Allison T. Hoffman

Sept. 22, 2003 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Today is the final day to register to vote in the Oct. 7 recall election, even as an 11-judge panel meets in San Francisco to reconsider whether the election will be held on that date.

State and county elections officials are urging voters to register -- and to request and return absentee ballots -- even though the election date is in limbo following a ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week that the election be delayed.

In a conference call with county registrars Friday, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley said registration, early voting and absentee ballot receipts have dropped off, presumably in response to voter confusion about the status of the election.

But officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties said registrations and ballot requests have continued to flood their offices.

“We haven’t really seen a drop in registration,” said Angela Burrell, an elections official in Orange County. She reported that the county had received approximately 6,000 new registrations since the beginning of September, in addition to 13,000 new registrations in August.

In Los Angeles, 23,000 voters have registered in the past two weeks, twice the number who signed up in the same period before the November gubernatorial election.

Eligible voters who want to register today can find forms at post offices, libraries, Department of Motor Vehicles branches, or some city clerk’s offices and social service agencies. Forms can also be printed from the secretary of state’s Web site, www.ss.ca.gov.

Completed forms must be postmarked by today and mailed to the county registrar. Forms can also be taken to county registrars’ offices or to DMV offices by the close of business today.

Anyone who is a citizen of the United States, a resident of California, not on parole or in prison for a felony conviction, and who will be 18 by Oct. 7 is eligible to vote. Voters who are already registered do not need to re-register unless they have moved or taken a new name since the last election.

Voters who wish to change their party affiliation may re-register, but because it is not a primary, individuals affiliated with a party will not be restricted from voting for any candidate.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Where to register

Here are the addresses for Southern California registrars’ offices:

Los Angeles County

In person: 12400 Imperial Hwy., Norwalk 90650

By mail: Voter Registration,

P.O. Box 1024, Norwalk 90651-10241

(800) 481-8683

Orange County

In person: 1300 S. Grand Ave., Bldg. C, Santa Ana

By mail: Registration & Elections Dept., P.O. Box 11298, Santa Ana 92711

(714) 567-7600