Arcadia Voters Will Cast Electronic Ballots in Race

Goodbye, chad.

Voters in Arcadia will be the first in Los Angeles County to cast their ballots exclusively with touch-screen technology Tuesday when they elect two school board members, according to the county registrar-recorder’s office.

In the neighboring Pasadena Unified School District, which includes Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre, voters will stick to the traditional punch-card method to choose two school board members.

While counters in Pasadena could face the prospect of the dreaded dangling chad that held the nation hostage during last November’s presidential election, there will be no such problems in Arcadia. “There is no chad with touch,” said Grace Chavez, the register-recorder’s spokeswoman.

Voters in the Arcadia Unified School District’s 16 precincts will simply touch the screen to make voting choices among four candidates, much like using an ATM.

The race pits longtime incumbents Mary Dougherty and Joann E. Steinmeier against challengers David Leong and Mary Yuen. In the Pasadena district, Ken Chawkins, a Southern California Edison executive and community activist, and Peter M. Soelter, an accountant and president of the PTA at Wilson Middle School, are vying for Seat 6. Mary Dee Romney, a school volunteer, and Ed Honowitz, vice president of the Pasadena Education Foundation, will compete for Seat 7. In the district of 23,300 students, reform is the key issue, with each candidate promising to bring changes to the struggling school system.

Pasadena Unified voters can learn where to vote by calling (626) 744-4124; Arcadia voters should call (800) 815-2666.