ELECTIONS / POLITICAL PARTIES : GOP Increases Lead in Registering Voters : Campaign: County Republicans woo members, reversing a trend of Democrats signing up greater numbers.

There’s nothing like a Democrat in the White House to motivate Republicans in Ventura County.

Sensing voter dissatisfaction with President Clinton, local Republican activists have been aggressively registering voters in the hope of boosting the chances of GOP legislative and congressional candidates in the November election.

“There’s a lack of confidence with the Clinton Administration,” said Bob Larkin, chairman of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. “And in California, voters have figured out . . . it’s time for a change.”

Since the June primary, Republicans have registered 2,663 new voters, widening the GOP’s lead over Democrats to 7,848 voters, according to the county’s latest registration figures. In contrast, Democrats had signed up only 147 new voters as of Sept. 13.

The GOP’s successful voter registration drive reverses a three-year trend of Democrats signing up more voters in Ventura County. Between 1991 and June of this year, Democrats cut the Republicans’ registration advantage from more than 21,000 voters to less than 6,000.

As of Sept. 13, there were 149,747 registered Republican voters in the county, compared to 141,899 Democrats. Final registration figures will not be available until next month.

After the June primary, however, Larkin said the county central committee hired half a dozen independent contractors to register voters. The committee receives a $2.50 “bounty” from the state Republican Party for each voter registered, with that money in turn going to pay the contractors.

“Nothing motivates like money to get people to work,” Larkin said. “It’s very Republican. So we’re very proud of that.”

Republicans also plan to hold a grand opening today of their campaign headquarters in Ventura, one of five offices that party officials plan to operate during the fall campaign.

The Ventura office will provide space for GOP campaign workers in Santa Paula and Fillmore. The Republican Party already operates offices in Oxnard and Camarillo and plans to open others soon in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley.

“We are really organized for the first time since 1984,” said Republican Central Committee member Brian Fox. “To run an effective election, we need to have our people in every city.”

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Meanwhile, Ventura County Democratic leaders chided Republican officials for hiring people to sign up voters, and expressed some jealousy too.

“If you’ve got money, it’s amazing the things you can do,” said Hank Starr, chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee. “Money talks--loudly.”

But Starr and others said Democrats recently launched their own voter registration drive throughout the county and that they are confident they will be able to keep pace.

“The Republicans have got a jump on us, but they’re going to need more than a jump to beat us to the finish line,” said Paul Chatman, chairman of Democrats United, a fund-raising arm of the local Democratic Party. “I think we can turn the numbers around pretty quick.”

Chatman noted that Democrats had recently opened a Democratic headquarters in Ventura for the fall election campaigns of various legislative and congressional candidates. The office has a phone bank and a staff of volunteers to help canvass precincts and to get people to the voting booth on election day.

Both Democrats and Republicans are concentrating a large part of their voter registration efforts on the western end of the county, where each party is hoping to pick up crossover votes in some key legislative races.

In one such race, Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) will square off against Republican Steve MacElvaine, a former San Luis Obispo County supervisor, for the seat being vacated by retiring state Sen. Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara). Hart’s 18th state Senate District covers Ventura, Santa Paula, Ojai and all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Also, Republican Brooks Firestone, a Santa Barbara County winery owner, is competing against Democrat Mindy Lorenz, a college professor, for O’Connell’s job. O’Connell’s 35th Assembly District covers Ventura, Santa Paula, Ojai and most of Santa Barbara County.

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Democrats hold a slight voter registration advantage in both districts, but officials say the party needs a much larger registration edge in each district because Republicans have a history of turning out to vote in higher numbers.

Republicans are also pushing hard to register voters in Thousand Oaks, where residents will cast ballots in a race that pits Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) against Republican Richard Sybert, a former top aide to Gov. Pete Wilson.

The race in the 24th Congressional District, which extends from Thousand Oaks to Sherman Oaks, has been named one of the top five targeted races nationwide by the Republican National Committee.

Ventura County Registered Voters

Democrats Republicans Oct. 1991 121,540 142,693 Oct. 1992 147,680 157,631 Oct. 1993 141,791 149,361 June 1994 141,752 147,084 Sept. 1994 *141,899 *149,747

* These are the most recent figures, as of Sept. 13. Final figures will not be available until after Oct. 11.

Source: Ventura County Registrar of Voters