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Early voting touch screen sites popular { October 1 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/local/20031001022347.shtmlhttp://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/local/20031001022347.shtml
Early-voting sites popular in valley
By Darrell Smith
The Desert Sun
October 1, 2003
PALM DESERT -- Joy and Robert Wegner are flight attendants. The Cathedral City couple likely will be in the air on Tuesday.
So they voted early.
John Griffin recently moved to Cathedral City from New York.
He’s a new voter and wanted to make sure he’d have a chance to cast his ballot.
So he voted early.
Milburn Stevens of La Quinta works long hours, so having a full week before next week’s recall election to cast his vote was a luxury he couldn’t pass up.
Stevens voted early.
They marked their ballots at a former restaurant-turned-touch screen-polling place at Westfield Shoppingtown Palm Desert, one of a number of early voting sites across Riverside County.
Here, Coachella Valley voters hope to make their voices heard and beat the election day crowds anticipated for next week’s historic gubernatorial recall.
And since the voting booths opened Saturday in Palm Desert, they’ve been doing so in big numbers: 465 people on Saturday; 480 on Sunday; 691 on Monday, said elections officials.
More than 150 people cast early touch-screen ballots before noon Tuesday.
"It’s a great idea so we’re not all rushing to the polls on the same day," said Wegner, the flight attendant from Cathedral City. Because of their jobs, Wegner and wife Joy vote absentee. But they learned of the early polling place and stopped in, their infant son Hunter in tow.
"It’s something new and exciting," Joy Wegner said of the touch-screen vote.
"And this little guy liked it, too," motioning to Hunter, who was wearing a tiny decal telling passersby: "I voted electronically."
Little Hunter could not vote, but about 5,000 early voters have gone to the polls in Riverside County, said Mischelle Townsend, Riverside County’s registrar of voters.
Meanwhile, more than 1.1 million people have returned absentee ballots in advance of next week’s election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
So what’s the difference between "early" and "absentee" voting?
Registered voters must apply with the county elections office to vote absentee. Ballots come in the mail and must be returned to the elections office or a designated polling place by election day.
Early voting, in counties such as Riverside, is open to any of the county’s registered voters at designated early voting polling places before the election.
Both are trends that state and county elections officials want to continue, particularly in light of the large crowds and long lines expected on Tuesday.
Last week, the state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, and his wife dropped off absentee ballots and encouraged Californians to do the same. Today, Shelley will be in Los Angeles County to promote early voting there.
Voters here are choosing to head to the polls early for a variety of reasons.
Time. Ease. Convenience. Each plays a part, Stevens said.
"Other times during a regular election night, it’s hectic," Stevens said. "It’s easier for me to do during lunch time. It’s multiple days, too, not just one day."
Many of the county’s early voting locations -- like Westfield Shoppingtown Palm Desert’s -- are at malls with ample parking and proximity to bus lines.
The math is attractive, too. The polls opened Sept. 27 and will stay open through Saturday.
That’s been an effective selling point in the Coachella Valley, which Townsend said, often posts the highest voter turnout in the county. "It’s the convenience factor," Townsend said. "People have been telling us it’s their preferred method of voting and it’s exciting to see the response, especially in the Coachella Valley."
Kathie Hart, an elections supervisor at the Palm Desert site, said she has seen that response firsthand since early voting was first rolled out before the March 2000 primary election.
"Return customers," Hart calls them. "There are a lot who come to early voting on a regular basis. They make a day of it -- vote, go shopping, have lunch," she said. "There’s been early voting here since 2000. Since then, more people have come -- return customers. That number grows with each election."
For Stevens, the reasons are simple. "More people are getting their voices heard. It goes back to having more than one day to do it. You work nine hours and you have a window of four or five hours," Stevens said.
"Here it’s a week and the convenience of it, the ease of doing it -- you’re going to start getting a higher turnout."
Voter information
Here are frequently asked questions about early and absentee voting:
Where’s my polling place?
Look to the mailing label on the back of your sample ballot. The location of polling place will be printed on the back. You also can visit the Riverside County Registrar of Voters online at www.voteinfo.net or call the registrar toll-free at (800) 773-8683.
Can I vote early?
Yes. Vote through Saturday at the former Zio Lorenzo restaurant at Westfield Shoppingtown Palm Desert, 72-840 Highway 111. The site is on the north side of the mall next to parking section 20. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
What about absentee ballots?
All voted absentee ballots must be received by the county’s elections office by the close of polls at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Voters also can drop off absentee ballots at any polling place in Riverside County or at the county’s elections office, 2724 Gateway Drive in Riverside by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
What about military overseas?
Their ballots were the first to go out, but if time is running short before election day, the Secretary of State will allow those stationed overseas to fax their ballots to the county’s elections office.
What if I can’t get to my polling place on Election Day?
From today through Monday, voters can apply in writing for absentee ballot if they will unexpectedly be unable to go to the polls on Election Day.
The Westfield Shoppingtown Palm Desert site will be open for "emergency absentee" voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Sources: Riverside County Registrar of Voters; Easy Voter Guide; California Secretary of State’s office
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Darrell Smith's column appears Sundays. Reach him at (760) 778-4669 or by e-mail.
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