| Monday, October 6, 2003
A primer for voting on Tuesday
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By DENA BUNIS
The Orange County Register
Some common questions about this unusual election:
Q: How can I find my polling place?
A: First, look on the back of your sample ballot. If you don't have that, call (714) 567-7600 or go to www.oc.ca.gov/election, click on "polling locations." You will be asked to fill in your zip code, city and street. You can also vote at the Registrar of Voters Office at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building C, in Santa Ana. Chances are you may not be voting where you usually do. Of the 1,700 polling places in the county, only 476 are being used for this election.
Q: Why?
A: Because the short time the registrar had to prepare for this election made it difficult to get enough trained poll workers to staff all the usual polling places.
Q: So will the lines be long?
A: Election officials insist not. The polling places they have selected have more poll workers than usual. They are in larger facilities, such as schools and churches and other places with ample parking. Expect waiting times of 10 to 15 minutes during the early-morning and late-evening hours. The registrar is asking that whenever possible, people vote in the afternoon. It's also suggested that you bring your sample ballot already filled out to speed the process.
Q: Is it too late to send in my absentee ballot?
A: Yes. At this point you should bring your completed absentee ballot to the registrar's office or to any polling place up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Q: What if I can't go myself?
A: You can ask an immediate family member or someone else who lives at your house to deliver it for you. To be on the safe side, send along a note with your signature.
Q: What if I threw out my absentee ballot during the confusion about the election being postponed or if I've lost it?
A: You can go to the registrar's office and request another one, fill it out and hand it back. As a last resort, you can go to your polling place and request a "provisional" ballot. You will vote, but the ballot will be held and counted only after election officials verify that you haven't already voted.
Q: What if I need a ballot for an elderly or infirm family member who cannot go to the registrar's office?
A: You can pick up a ballot for them as long as they send a note requesting one. Make sure the note has their signature so election officials can verify that with the signature they have on file.
Q: When will we know the election results?
A: Results of most absentee ballots will be counted by about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday and be posted on the secretary of state's Web site at www.ss.ca.gov. But the full results probably won't be known until Wednesday morning. Another site that will track results is www.myvotecounts.org, which has information about the election.
Q: When will we know the official results?
A: The secretary of state has 39 days to certify the results, but it likely won't take that long.
Q: If there is a new governor, when would he or she take office?
A: Once the vote is certified. The deadline is Nov. 15, so the new governor would be sworn in no later than that day.
Q: What about the lieutenant governor?
A: If the recall succeeds and anyone but Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante wins, then Bustamante will fill out his term. If Bustamante wins, he would appoint a new lieutenant governor, who would have to be confirmed by the Legislature.
Q: What are the propositions on the ballot?
A: Prop. 53 would require up to 3 percent of the state's budget be set aside for roads, colleges, water projects and similar infrastructure. Prop. 54 would ban state agencies from collecting racial or ethnic data.
