THE TIMES POLL : Many Say They Are Too Busy, Put-Off to Vote

The most common reason Californians give for not voting in the June election is not lack of interest, nor disdain of the candidates. They were simply too busy to be bothered, the Los Angeles Times Poll found.

And although most registered voters who skipped the June primary say they very likely will vote in November, the evidence is that many probably won’t.

For an assortment of reasons, they can be expected again to join the political majority that outnumbers Democrats and Republicans combined--the Anti-Electorate, citizens at least 18 years old who could vote if they wished but who refrain by choice.

The Anti-Electorate was of unprecedented size in the June 5 election, about 14 million people. About 4.9 million people voted--fewer than in any California primary since 1960. The share of people who were eligible to vote but didn’t was the highest since 1928, Secretary of State March Fong Eu said.

Size would not necessarily make the Anti-Electorate a potent force, however, even if its members suddenly flooded the polls. They feel about the same as voters on major issues and are equally split on their favorite for governor between Sen. Pete Wilson, the Republican, and Democrat Dianne Feinstein, the poll found.

But as a social class, the Anti-Electorate is as disparate as any group of California citizens, the poll found. Nearly 8 in 10 graduated from high school or went to college, but 22% were dropouts. More than half live in the suburbs, and 76% are white. Almost a quarter makes less than $20,000 a year, about the same who earn more than $50,000. Most hold jobs, but 26% are homemakers or retired.

What ties them together is a sense that voting--once the most revered of American rights--has become either too difficult to fit into modern life or is of dubious personal value, the poll found.

Based on the poll, the California citizenry can be lumped into three classes--those who still care enough to vote in primary elections, those who are registered but chose not to vote in June and the hard-core who are not registered and who seldom, if ever, vote. It is the latter two groups that make up the Anti-Electorate.

The June voters were a dedicated, and apparently waning, breed. Republicans who voted did so even though there was no contest for governor to spice up their interest. And the race between Feinstein and Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp apparently failed to tickle Democrats enough to bring them out in their normal numbers. Turnout was about equally split between the parties, the poll found.

The June voters were an older segment of the population, the poll found, and they treat voting as an old-fashioned virtue. Nearly 80% said they had gone to the polls at least four times in the last four years--compared to only 43% of the registered voters who opted not to vote in June.

Residence was another major factor that distinguished the June voters. Nearly half have lived in the same place for at least 10 years. Only 26% had moved in the last three years. That sort of stability is a characteristic of frequent voters.

By comparison, 42% of registered voters who skipped the June primary had moved in the last three years. Among people who didn’t even register, 60% had moved in the last three years--four in 10 within the last year.

The group that is registered but skipped the June election choose whether to vote or remain in the Anti-Electorate depending on the race at hand and the turns of their personal lives, the poll found.

Only 66% of those who skipped the June primary said they expect to vote in November, compared to 90% of June voters who said they were sure they would vote in November. Over the last four years, fewer than half of those who skipped the June primary had cast ballots in even three elections.

By asking why these registered voters did not cast ballots in June, the poll elicited a wide-ranging sense of the values they attach to the institution of elections.

The most popular reason--that they were “too busy” to vote--was mentioned by 35% of the group. Blacks more than whites and Latinos, and people younger than 40 cited the busy nature of their lives for not voting.

Although the law makes provisions for workers to take time to vote, people with jobs were twice as likely as homemakers and the unemployed--by 42% to 21%--to say they were too busy to vote--perhaps a reflection of multihour commutes and other California facts of life. And it was equally a factor for blue-collar, professional and other white-collar workers.

Lack of interest in politics was the next most common reason for not voting--cited by 8%. Dislike of the candidates and a sense that voting does not matter also were mentioned, but by even fewer people. A handful also cited such reasons as being out of town, physical disability, illness and lack of information about the candidates.

Asked what would encourage them to vote, 35% said less confusing issues. About 13% said they want higher-quality candidates, and a smaller portion wanted Sunday elections and other steps that would make voting easier. Only a few people said the polls should be kept open later or moved closer to where people live.

Even if this group could be persuaded to vote, election results would hardly be affected. For instance, in the November matchup for governor, this group was equally divided between Wilson and Feinstein.

Overall, citizens who register hold many positions in common whether they vote or not, the poll found. They value the same qualities in a governor--first, a political philosophy they like, then, experience--and hold the same views on abortion, capital punishment, taxes and public financing of campaigns.

They differ most notably in their feelings about the so-called Big Green environmental initiative on the November ballot.

While June voters oppose the measure by 46% to 39%, people who were registered but did not vote favor it 53% to 30%. Liberals favor Big Green and conservatives oppose it, but the difference seems to be that people who call themselves politically middle-of-the-road back Big Green 46% to 35%. And those who say they pay no attention to political news and events--and are the least likely to vote--are for the initiative by 49% to 20%.

The group of Californians least likely to vote is the 25% who are not registered and who make up a dedicated, hard-core group that boycotts most elections, the poll found.

More than 60% said they have no plans to register for the November election, and 53% have not voted even once in the last four years.

They are about evenly divided ideologically, with about a quarter each saying they are liberals, conservatives, middle-of-the-road or lack the interest to have a political philosophy. But while others say they are too busy to vote or blame a recent move for not being registered, many of these people confess a stark lack of interest in political affairs. Only 5% said they do not register to escape jury duty--even though jury pools are not limited to registered voters--and 2% said they find it too difficult to register.

Sixty-two percent are younger than 40. About a third did not finish high school, but they are not a notably uneducated group, because 27% said they attended some college. Nonetheless, they say voting needs to be made easier; they also see little difference between Republicans and Democrats and complain about the quality of candidates running for office.

The poll, conducted by telephone between June 15 and June 20, surveyed 2,260 U.S. citizens living in California. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Anti-Electorate Who Voted, Who Didn’t in June 5 Primary Among the Voters Under 40: 25% Over 40: 75 Democrats: 54% Republicans: 41 Independents: 4 Other:1 Men: 47%Women: 53 Southern California: 54% Northern California: 46 Among the non-voters Under 40: 56% Over 40: 44 Democrats: 24% Republicans: 24 Independents: 9 Other: 43 Men: 49%Women: 51 Southern California: 62% Northern California: 38 Reasons for not voting (registered voters only)*

Total Too busy 35% Not interested in politics 8 Didn’t like candidates 6 Voting doesn’t matter 5 Too busy 35%

Age Under 40 Over 40 Too busy 44% 26% Not interested in politics 10 6 Didn’t like candidates 6 7 Voting doesn’t matter 4 6

Race White Black Latino Too busy 33% 48 40 Not interested in politics 8 17 4 Didn’t like candidates 6 8 14 Voting doesn’t matter 4 6 9

*Top four responses What changes would encourage you to vote?*

Total If issues were less confusing 35% Higher quality candidates 13 If it were easier to vote 9 Elections on Sundays 8 Shorter ballots 7

*Top five responses Citizens Who Don’t Register To Vote Why not registered?* Too busy: 22% Not interested in politics: 21 Not in current home long enough: 18 Forgot to register: 10 Didn’t like candidates: 9 Voting doesn’t matter: 9 *Top six responses Characteristics of the unregistered Conservatives: 21% Middle of the roaders: 27 Liberals: 22 No political ideology: 26 Don’t know: 4 Earn Less than $20,000 a year: 29% Earn $20-40,000 a year: 35 Earn more than $40,000 a year: 26 Refused: 10 Under 40 years old: 62% High school graduate or college: 70 Men: 51 Women: 49 Whites: 76% Latinos: 10 Blacks: 6 Other: 8 Registration breakdown by Ideology, race

Registered Not registered Conservatives 83% 17% Middle of the roaders 78 22 Liberals 80 20 No political ideology 41 59

Registered Not registered Whites 76% 24% Latinos 68 32 Blacks 78 22

Will you register for the November election?* Won’t register for sure: 29% Will definitely register: 26 Not sure if will register: 19 Doubt if I will register: 13 Probably will: 12 *1% did not respond Attitudes compared

Registered Not registered Interested in campaign for governor? 81% 46% Think political system sound? 63 49 Voted at least twice in last 4 years? 84 24 Concerned about decline in voting? 86 61

The Los Angeles Times poll surveyed 2,260 people who said they were citizens, by telephonebetween June 15 and 20. The margin of error is plus or minus 3%