Early Voting Begins Via Touch-Screen in County

Only hours before Tuesday’s final presidential debate, hundreds of Los Angeles County voters were making their choices by touching a computer screen.

They were among the first in the country to cast ballots in the presidential race, and they also voted on a range of state, county and local races.

Absentee voting has been around for a long time, but this was the first time that county voters were being allowed to cast their ballots 21 days in advance--and on an electronic device similar to a bank’s automated teller machine.

Voting officially got underway Monday at nine locations offering the special computers for those who want to vote early. The system also is recommended for those with visual impairments and voters who need a ballot in a language other than English.

By Tuesday afternoon, about 588 people countywide had taken advantage of the option.

One early voter, psychotherapist Jill Blacher, followed bright red signs and arrows that led to the basement of a sprawling Los Angeles city office near Little Tokyo. There, she found an L-shaped bank of computers, and a clerk waiting to confirm voters’ identities and eligibility.

Each voter inserted a small plastic card into a computer and made selections by touching the monitor next to candidates’ names or voting “yes” or “no” on ballot measures. The voters’ choices were recorded in the computers’ hard drive and CDs.

Never mind that Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush had yet to tangle in Tuesday’s televised debate. “I studied the issues, and I’m an informed voter,” Blacher said after turning in her voting card.

Right behind her was Los Angeles city custodian Juan M. Espinosa, who said he used the new system because “I just thought it was easier to get it over and done with today.”

In Van Nuys, more than 100 people have taken advantage of the new voting machines in the past two days, said Elenita Ramirez, a clerk for the registrar-recorder’s office. Voters have been filling out surveys after casting their ballots, but Ramirez said she hasn’t heard a single complaint.

“The response has been good so far,” she said. “Many people don’t have time on election day or are leaving out of town, so they want to take care of this as soon as possible. A lot of people are saying it’s easy, and they are willing to try something different.”

One of those people was 22-year-old Monique Barron, who stopped by the polling booths after picking up her 2-year-old son’s birth certificate. Barron said she hadn’t received her voting booklet in the mail and wondered when it would arrive. When she learned that she could vote Tuesday, she seized the opportunity.

“It’s really easy and fairly quick,” she said. “It had to be quick because if it wasn’t, my son would be running around like crazy. I think it’s great.”

The new method was designed to make voting easier for the county’s diverse community. The ballots are available in several languages.

People who have visual impairments, such as 88-year-old Butch Stone of Van Nuys, can also cast their votes via the touch screens. Stone, who is legally blind, was led to the booth by a volunteer as he whispered his choices for president and the U.S. Senate. The volunteer pressed his choices for him (Stone voted for Gore and Feinstein).

“I liked this new process because it’s more organized and it’s a cinch,” said Stone’s wife, Shirley Stone. “I don’t know how to work a computer, but you would have to be stupid to not know how to use this machine.”

The early voting locations, which will be available through Nov. 6, include three registrar’s offices: 12400 Imperial Highway, 3rd Floor, Norwalk; 7807 S. Compton Ave., 2nd Floor; 14340 W. Sylvan Street, Van Nuys.

Other locations: Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way, 1st Floor; Centro Maravilla Community Center, 4716 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., Building B; Lancaster-County Regional Center, 335 A E. Avenue K-6, Lancaster; LAX Courthouse, 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd., 6th Floor; Los Angeles City Elections Office, 700 E. Temple St., Basement; West Covina City Hall, 1444 W. Garvey Ave., 1st Floor.

In Riverside County, where officials are holding what they say is the largest-ever election using touch-screen voting, early voting is also being offered.

Using touch-screen technology, early voting will take place from Monday through Oct. 30 at three shopping malls in Riverside County. Voters can also cast their ballots electronically at the Registrar of Voters office, 2742 Gateway Drive, Riverside, through Nov. 7.

Riverside County will use the touch-screen technology in its general election--and, in the process, will become the first county in California to do away with the paper ballot. The county’s 615,000 registered voters will use the ATM-like machines at more than 700 polling sites.

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Times staff writers Louis Sahagun and Scott Gold contributed to this story.