Large Absentee Vote Expected to Ease Long Lines at Polls Today

Downplaying fears of “voter gridlock” at the polls, local election officials hope that a large absentee turnout and special voting procedures will make for smooth voting today when San Diegans help elect a new President and decide a myriad of local and statewide contests.

With San Diegans facing a lengthy, complex ballot that includes as many as 40 propositions in some areas, local election officials have encouraged people to vote absentee to avoid long lines and lengthy delays at some polling places.

So many San Diegans heeded that call--there were 261,000 absentee ballot requests, more than 2 1/2 times the previous record--that enthusiastic county election officials Monday were optimistic that many of the problems will be averted when the county’s 1,634 polling places open at 7 a.m. today.

“We’re in good shape for a smooth election,” said county Registrar of Voters Conny McCormack. “I don’t think we’ll have the kind of lines or problems we could have encountered if the absentee program hadn’t been so successful.”

As of Monday, nearly 172,000 absentee ballots had been returned. Based on past patterns, about 30,000 more are expected to be dropped off either at the polls or the registrar’s office today, McCormack said.

If San Diego County’s 75% average turnout during the past two presidential elections holds this year, those absentee ballots could represent more than one-fifth of today’s turnout among the

county’s 1.26 million registered voters.

“With that many people having already voted, that takes a lot of pressure off the polls,” McCormack said.

Election officials also have set up “express lanes” to speed voting. Rather than employing the small voting machines normally used to punch voters’ choices on computer cards, voters who choose not to wait for a voting machine will be allowed to mark their ballots with a portable punch clip elsewhere in the polling place.

“We might see some people voting in the corner of a garage, on top of a washing machine or anywhere there’s room at the polls,” McCormack said.

Won’t Enforce Time Limit

Although a federal appeals court has upheld a provision of the state elections code limiting voters to 10 minutes in a voting booth, McCormack said local officials do not plan to enforce that limit.

“We don’t feel that’s enforceable and won’t be throwing anyone out of the booths if they take a little longer than 10 minutes,” McCormack said. “If someone’s in there 15 or 20 minutes, there probably will be enough shuffling of feet that a poll inspector may ask if there’s a problem. But even under those circumstances, we won’t force anyone to leave before they’re done.”

The registrar office’s position on the 10-minute limit reflects the complicated task that awaits voters.

Packed Ballots

Throughout San Diego County, 522 candidates seeking 244 offices appear on 505 types of ballots alongside 29 statewide and 37 local propositions. The lengthiest ballot is in the city of San Diego, where people will vote on 40 total propositions--11 local and 29 statewide measures. There are four countywide propositions, and 10 other cities have local ballot measures.

Headlined by several sharply contested, expensive races over proposed growth limits, the ballot propositions have overshadowed candidate races.

The most closely watched local campaign this fall focuses on four slow-growth measures on the city of San Diego and county ballots--Propositions B and D in the county, and H and J in the city. Although all four would impose annual housing construction caps, Propositions D and J, sponsored by citizens’ groups, are more stringent than B and H, which were proposed by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego City Council, respectively.

Other major campaigns include Proposition A, which would waive the county’s so-called Gann spending limit to enable the county to spend all funds generated by taxes and state grants; Proposition E, which would establish district elections in San Diego City Council races; and Propositions F and G, two competing proposals for civilian police review boards in the city of San Diego.

Amid a generally lackluster field of state legislative and congressional races, only a handful have attracted significant attention.

In the 44th Congressional District race, Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) faces a challenge from Republican challenger Rob Butterfield Jr., with the campaign focusing on recent allegations of sexual harassment lodged against Bates by former female staffers.

Of the nine local Assembly and state Senate races on the ballot, only three are regarded as even marginally competitive, led by the 78th District race between Assemblywoman Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) and Republican Byron Wear. Assemblyman Steve Peace (D-Chula Vista) also faces a strong, well-funded challenge from GOP nominee Steve Baldwin in the 80th Assembly District, and Republican Carol Bentley opposes Democrat Sam Hornreich for the 77th Assembly District seat being vacated by Republican Larry Stirling in his attempt to move up to the state Senate.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For Election Day problems, or to find your polling location, call the registrar’s office, 565-5800.