Lots of Absentees Reported in 35th Senate Election Today

Today may be Election Day in the state’s 35th Senate District, but some officials think it’s possible that almost half the votes that will be cast in this special election were already turned in before the polls even opened.

The county registrar of voters office said that 18,368 people voted by mail as of Monday, returning more absentee ballots than in any other special election in Orange County. At the same time, officials expect one of the county’s lowest turnouts today, with as few as 38,000 voters--about 12%--casting ballots.

“Initially, I was thinking it might get over 15%, but now I’m not sure whether it’s going to get that high,” County Registrar of Voters Donald F. Tanney said. “I’d say about 12% to 15%.”

Meanwhile, controversy stirred in the final hours of the campaign Monday.

Opponents of Republican candidate John R. Lewis, an assemblyman from Orange, charged that he is trying to circumvent campaign laws that limit individual contributions to less than $1,000. Under a recent court ruling, the contribution limit applies to special election campaigns but not to those during regular-year elections.

Lewis sent a letter to voters late last week that was funded by the “John Lewis for Senate ‘92” committee, for which contributions apparently are unlimited. The letter included the phrase, “For state Senate: John Lewis,” but the assemblyman’s campaign staff said that was referring to the election next year, when the seat will be contested again, not to today’s special election.

“This is building John’s name (identification) for ‘92,” said Mark Thompson, Lewis’ campaign manager. “There’s no great conspiracy here.”

Sam Roth, campaign manager for one of Lewis’ opponents, Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress), said, however: “It would seem obvious it’s a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the law because such a mailer hit the voters two or three days before this election.”

A spokesman for the state Fair Political Practices Commission said that, so far, no complaint has been filed against Lewis.

Voters also received another controversial mailer Monday in which a Republican committee that backs conservative candidates statewide paid for a letter urging support for Democratic candidate Francis X. Hoffman.

Some strategists involved in the election believe that the letter was intended to dissuade Democrats from voting for one of the moderate Republican candidates.

The race is expected to be close, with at least four of the Republican candidates still considered front-runners--Orange County Transportation Commissioner Dana Reed and state Assembly members Lewis, Allen and Nolan Frizzelle (R-Fountain Valley).

The other candidates are: Republicans William A. Dougherty, John S. Parise, Charles V. Smith and Jim Wronski; Democrat Hoffman, and Libertarian Eric Sprik.

Today’s Election

Voters in the state’s 35th Senate District go to the polls today in a special primary election to replace former Anaheim state Sen. John Seymour.

Ten candidates are running for the 35th District seat, which has been vacant since January, when Seymour was appointed to replace Gov. Pete Wilson in the U.S. Senate. The district includes Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa, and parts of Irvine, Huntington Beach, Villa Park, El Toro, Fountain Valley, Westminster and Tustin.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top vote-getters in each party will be held May 14.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

For information about polling places, call the Orange County registrar of voters office at (714) 567-7600.