Ballot Sponsors to Be Credited in Bid to Raise Funds : Politics: Innovative program garners praise but raises questions about commercializing democracy.

When Ventura County voters go to the polls June 7, they will find for the first time that corporations are helping to underwrite the local democratic process.

The names of a large cable television company, a giant title company and the nation’s largest home insurer will be displayed at 405 polling places for about 100,000 voters to see.

Restaurants, hotels, travel agents and banks have also expressed interest in a novel county program that invites businesses to pay $250 each to sponsor polling stations in exchange for recognition on Election Day.

County officials say they expect to save $25,000 on the June election through corporate sponsorships, the free use of polling sites and the labor of hundreds of volunteers.

Together, the three-pronged “Count Me In” program is so innovative that it was honored last week by the California secretary of state’s office as the best new government plan to increase community participation in local elections.

But use of corporate sponsors--especially a written declaration proclaiming that support at polling places--has raised questions about whether the program might commercialize elections. It also creates a possible conflict of interest if a ballot initiative directly affects polling-place sponsors.

But county elections officials say they do not expect complaints because no polling place will bear the stamp of just one company’s support. Rather, all sponsors will be listed on a single sheet of paper at each polling site.

“It’s not like, ‘This polling place is brought to you by Denny’s,’ ” said Georgia Dennehey, the county’s assistant elections chief.

Still, the issue of the propriety of corporate sponsorships was one reason that Santa Barbara County abandoned a similar program after the 1992 election.

“The problem with this is people have such varying agendas,” said Bob Smith, head of elections in Santa Barbara. “Somebody doesn’t care for this company or doesn’t like the product of that company. With (sponsorships), it almost gives the impression that we’re supporting the company.”

A spokesman for the secretary of state said the office favors recognition of sponsors only after an election is over, not on Election Day.

“You don’t want to create any impression of possible conflict,” said John Mott-Smith, the state chief of elections. “We don’t want any big flashing lights at the polling place, saying ‘25% off on democracy,’ or ‘Sale today,’ or ‘Eat at Joe’s.’ ”

But Mott-Smith said he knows Bruce Bradley, head of the Ventura County elections division, and is certain that Bradley will credit sponsors in an appropriate manner.

Bradley’s “Count Me In” program, in fact, is a model for both saving money and community involvement that is being monitored by many other cash-strapped counties, Mott-Smith said.

“Bruce Bradley really went beyond anything anyone has seen in the country,” he said.

Bradley said he will respond to sponsorship problems if they arise but that such concerns are premature. “I’ll wait until I get 100 sponsors before I worry about it,” he said. “Right now, I’m just working to keep the program above water.”

The elections division absorbed a $100,000 cut over the summer out of a total budget of just $1.4 million and had to find ways to do the same work with less money, he said.

Ventura County first tried its new program in November, when 201 election workers donated their time instead of being paid from $55 to $68 for it. Six corporate sponsors also enrolled, and the county saved about $19,000, Dennehey said.

The county publicly thanked sponsors in a post-election newspaper ad but decided to acknowledge them at polling stations this time because some sponsors did not re-enroll, Bradley said.

For the June election, 250 volunteers have offered to donate their time so far, owners of 133 of the 405 polling sites have waived their $25 to $75 rental fees, and 10 corporate sponsors have expressed a strong interest, Dennehey said.

The county has solicited support from 75 companies over the last two weeks, she said. Checks of $250 have arrived from State Farm Insurance of Westlake Village, Chicago Title Co. of Ventura, Jones Intercable of Oxnard and Ventura Appraisal Consulting Corp. of Ventura, she said.

FYI

For information about sponsoring polling activities June 7, call the county registrar of voters office at 654-2733. Ask for Georgia Dennehey.