Turnout lowest in 30 years
By
Jill Thomsen
Daily Forty-Niner
A
fire station, chain bookstore and household
garage were transformed into temporary institutions
of democracy Tuesday as local voters went
to the polls to cast their ballots in the
lowest voter turnout in 30 years.
Approximately
45 percent of Los Angeles County's registered
voters participated in Tuesday's election.
"I
voted because it's my duty," said retired
Cal State Long Beach employee Ione Marchael.
A
veteran echoed the sentiment saying "it's
my right and I should exercise that right.
I fought for it."
The
last mid-term election in 1998 yielded a
turnout of 53.41 percent, making voter participation
down by almost 8 percent in the county.
"The
reason I voted was to not have Gray Davis
in there, or Bill Simon. I voted for a third
party candidate," said Heidi Decausemaker,
third year graphic design student.
Junior
English major Gabriel Valdovinos felt the
propositions were the most important items
on Tuesday's ballot.
"A
lot of money is being put on the voters
plate -- almost $31 billion," he said.
"When it comes to state elections,
your vote definitely counts."
Los
Angeles County suffered a major image setback
during the March primary this year when
121 polling places opened late, and one
never opened.
"It
is running so smoothly compared to the primary,
" said County Registrar-Recorder spokesman
Grace Chavez.
Twenty-eight
polling locations in Los Angeles County
opened late Tuesday morning, with 22 of
those opening before 8 a.m. The six remaining
poll locations opened before 9 a.m. Each
polling location was staffed with at least
four volunteers, including 184 political
science students from Cal State Long Beach
who were stationed throughout the county.
Chavez
noted that the biggest problem in the primary
election was pollworker cancellations, and
that the addition of students and county
workers as volunteers has really helped
out.
Local
pollworkers, including those at the Border
bookstore on Bellflower Boulevard, said
the stream of voters had been pretty steady
since morning and got a little busier over
the noon lunch hour.
Long
Beach resident Barbara Tortorelli said she
felt it was important to vote in the context
of looking at the bigger elections coming
up and what is going on the United States
currently.
"Everything
starts in your back yard, and I wanted to
make sure that I voted for the candidate
I thought would move the country forward,"
the investment banker noted.
Los
Angeles County has 4,922 polling locations,
and about one-fifth of county voters were
assigned new polling places. One voter admitted
she had driven to her old location before
seeing the signs posted at her canceled
precinct.
Pollworker
Robert Martin of Cabrillo partipcipated
in early touchscreen voting over the weekend
and said the process was fantastic.
"There
were quite a few people there taking advantage
of the service," he said.
The
registrar reported that 15,554 voters used
the new touchscreen system, down from 21,962
in the November 2000 election.
Although
many voters were reluctant to go on the
record, most expressed negativity towards
the gubernatorial candidates, with several
opting to leave the position blank on their
ballot. A familiar refrain was heard in
voters describing having to decide between
the lesser of two evils.
"I
know it is important to vote," said
one voter, "but those two guys …"
As
of midnight with 69% of precincts reporting:
Governor:
Gray
Davis 48%
Bill Simon 42%
Lieutenant
Governor:
Cruz
Bustamante 49%
Bruce Mc Pherson 42%
Prop
46
Yes:
57%
No: 43%
Prop
47
Yes:
59%
No: 41%
Prop
49
Yes:
56%
No: 44%
Prop
52
Yes:
41%
No: 59%
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