Voters Drive, Beat Deadline to Register

David Ponce was driving by the Santa Ana Republican headquarters Tuesday evening when, almost on a whim, he decided to pull over to register to vote--just hours before the deadline.

“I’ve seen the signs here,” said Ponce, 50, an immigrant from Mexico who’s lived in the United States for most of his life but only became a U.S. citizen two years ago. “It was very convenient to stop.”

Leave it to the Republicans--only in Orange County could the Grand Old Party set up a drive-through service for last-minute voter registration and make it a tradition.

“We’ve been doing this for at least seven years now,” explained Bill Christiansen, a Republican Party spokesman, who said the strategy is paying off.

It certainly paid off in Ponce’s case. He left as a registered Republican.

“I feel great,” he said, excited about the prospect of voting in his first presidential election. “I love being able to voice my opinion and have it count. Putting [registration] off to the last minute makes it more exciting.”

Bob Plouvier, a 67-year-old retired plumber who spent the last two years living in Mexico, also was lured in on Tuesday, the final day to register to vote in the Nov. 7 election.

“I was just driving by and saw the pickets,” said Plouvier, who signed up with the GOP. “I wanted to register real bad. Without this, it might have slipped my mind.”

While the late registration effort was billed as a “drive-through” service, most takers in Santa Ana--attracted by an enthusiastic crowd waving Bush for President signs outside the building--opted to park their cars and walk in. Once inside, they were greeted by a line of tables staffed by volunteers ready to register all comers by the midnight deadline.

“This is more intense than it ever has been before,” said Manny Padilla, director of the Santa Ana headquarters where, he said, more than 40 voters were expected to register by the time the doors closed at 9 p.m.

“When an election is this close,” he said, “everybody tries to do a little more.”

As of Monday, Republicans had 652,116 voters registered in the county compared to the Democrats with 422,998--nearly a quarter of a million spread in favor of the GOP, according to the registrar’s office.

As it stands, Orange County has now reached a historic first with 1,320,300 registered voters, more than any previous election, said Suzanne Slupsky, the county’s supervisor of elections.

The previous record, 1,275,775, came four years ago during the last presidential contest. Slupsky said 874,017 ballots were cast that year, resulting in a hefty 69% voter turnout.

While no figures were available for Tuesday’s last-minute registration efforts, Slupsky expected that thousands more would sign up in the final hours, further spiking the number of registered voters.

“We’re expecting a large number because in the last few weeks, we’ve just increased and increased our total of registrations,” Slupsky said.

On a recent day, she said, roughly 6,000 people registered to vote and a few days later, another 8,000 signed up.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles also had its last-minute registration drive with Los Angeles County registrar of voters officials setting up a drive-through registration area in the Hollywood Bowl parking lot.

By contrast, there were five such drive-through stations scattered through Orange County--Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Orange, Santa Ana and San Clemente, all set up by Republicans.

Also, in case residents got a patriotic surge late in the evening, the county’s registrar office was staying open until midnight.

Orange County Democrats opted for more conventional registration strategy and had registration drives outside of supermarkets and post offices in Laguna Beach, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Tustin, Fullerton, Westminster, Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Anaheim.

Democrats also have targeted registration drives in key districts, including the 41st Congressional District where Ontario City Councilman Rodolfo G. Favila is running for a seat held by Gary G. Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and the 68th Assembly District where Tina Laine is challenging Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove).