LOCAL ELECTIONS 5TH DISTRICT RECALL : Voters to Decide Today If Bernhardt Stays or Goes : Politics: Seven candidates are in the running to replace the councilwoman if she loses the recall vote.

Voters in San Diego’s 5th City Council District will go to the polls today to decide the first council recall election since the City Charter was adopted early this century.

Today’s election in the north-central San Diego district will determine whether freshman Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt will retain the seat to which she was elected only 17 months ago or be replaced by one of seven candidates.

Polls in the 5th District will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters uncertain of where to vote or who experience other Election Day problems may contact the county Registrar of Voters office at 565-5800 for assistance.

Despite the recall campaign’s historic nature and its possible impact on the City Council’s balance of power, local election officials have predicted that less than 20% of the district’s 72,424 registered voters will cast ballots.

Many of the votes cast will probably come in the form of absentee ballots. As of Monday, about 5,500 of the 9,768 absentee ballots requested by voters had been returned to the registrar’s office, and officials expect that figure to grow substantially before the polls close tonight.

Because of the additional time needed to verify the accuracy of absentee ballots, the election’s outcome could be unknown until later this week, Registrar Conny McCormack said. Absentee ballots turned in at the polls today probably will not be counted until at least Thursday, which could leave the election in doubt until then, assuming that there are enough uncounted votes to affect the outcome, she explained.

Under the procedures governing the election, Bernhardt’s political fate will be decided by a simple majority vote in one race, while her seven would-be successors compete in a tandem contest.

If the 31-year-old Bernhardt receives more than 50% of the vote, she will retain her post, rendering the outcome of the companion race moot. However, if she is ousted, the candidate drawing the most votes in the other contest--in which Bernhardt is ineligible--would serve the rest of her four-year term, taking office when the council officially certifies the recall, probably later this month.

The candidates vying to replace Bernhardt are corporate lawyer Tom Behr, land-use planner John Brand, general contractor Les Braund, lawyer and part-time county planner Mike Eckmann, former congressional aide Dena Holman, former San Diego City Councilman Floyd Morrow and credit union services manager Ken Moser.