O.C. Apologizes for Ill-Timed Election

Orange County officials apologized Wednesday for their part in setting the date for a special primary election to fill a vacant congressional seat on Oct. 4, the celebration of the Jewish New Year.

To help make amends, the county will offer early voting beginning Sept. 25 at synagogues in Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Newport Beach and Santa Ana; at city halls in Irvine, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano; at Leisure World in Laguna Woods; and at the county registrar of voters office in Santa Ana.

“I want to express my sincere apologies to the Jewish community and other faiths on the timing” of the election, Bill Campbell, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said at an afternoon news conference.

Acting Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley also offered his “heartfelt apology” for the failure to acknowledge the date’s significance. “Obviously, in retrospect, it was an error,” he said.

Jewish groups in Orange County protested the Oct. 4 date even before the special election was set last month by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor’s office said the date was requested by Orange County Registrar Steve Rodermund, who last week was put on administrative leave for what county officials said was an unrelated personnel matter.

Jews traditionally spend Rosh Hashana reflecting at home or attending religious services. Taking time out to vote is seen by many to be disrespectful.

Oct. 4 also marks the first day of the monthlong Islamic holiday of Ramadan.

Voters in the 48th Congressional District will choose that day from among 17 candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who resigned Aug. 2 to become chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

All candidates will appear on the ballot; if none receives a majority of votes, the top vote-getters from each party will move to a Dec. 6 special general election.

The county’s plan for early voting was applauded by representatives of the Jewish Council of Orange County, who attended Wednesday’s news conference. But several rabbis said they also supported a bill by Assemblyman Keith Richman (R-Northridge) that would allow the governor to reschedule the special primary for Oct. 11 or to coincide with a Nov. 8 statewide special election.

Whatever measures can be taken to accommodate voters are important, said Rabbi Marc Dworkin, executive director of the American Jewish Committee of Orange County.

“This is not a 100% solution,” he said of the early voting.

Campbell said the county would change the date if the Richman bill were approved. But officials may run out of time, he cautioned, because of a “drop-dead” deadline of Tuesday to begin printing sample ballot materials required for the election.

Richman said he was urging swift approval of his bill, which is before the Assembly Rules Committee. “I recognize the county is trying to make the best of a bad situation,” he said Wednesday, “but the right action is still working diligently and as quickly as we can to change the date.”

Campbell said he would ask his county colleagues to pass a future ordinance prohibiting elections on religiously significant dates. He said he would support a state bill that does the same thing, though Richman’s bill addresses only the immediate election.

Last week, the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union warned the county that it would sue over the Oct. 4 election date unless adequate accommodations were made for early voting.

Among the early voting sites are Congregation Shir Ha Ma’alot and the Jewish Federation of Orange County’s Samueli Jewish campus in Irvine, Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo, Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach and Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana.

The Leisure World sites are at Clubhouse 2 on Sept. 25 and 29, Clubhouse 6 on Sept. 26 and Clubhouse 7 on Sept. 27 and 28.

A list of voting locations, dates and times can be found at www.ocvote.com or call (888) OCVOTES.