CA: New storm buffets secretary of state

Sac Bee ^ | 8/13/04 | Gary Delsohn

[NormsRevenge]

Kevin Shelley, the embattled California secretary of state facing multiple investigations for allegedly accepting illegal campaign contributions, abruptly canceled a mass mailing of absentee ballot applications after county voting officials complained it was heavy-handed and wasteful.

The registrars, some of whom question whether Shelley is more interested in promoting himself than in helping them register and motivate voters, were furious after learning last week that he planned to send nearly 4 million permanent absentee ballot applications.

"It's mind-boggling," Conny McCormack, the registrar in Los Angeles County, said this week. "It's duplicative and it's got his name all over it. We don't need voters being confused. It's just ludicrous, and he didn't consult any of us before doing it."

Shelley, who is vacationing with his family out of state, was not available for comment. But after county complaints and inquiries by The Bee, a spokeswoman said he was contacted by cell phone and decided to abort the mass mailing. "I don't think it's a reversal," spokeswoman Lauren Hersh said. "I think it's an understanding of what the concerns were from a number of counties."

The mailings would have cost $1.1 million, Hersh said. About 70 percent of that was postage. The applications, already printed, will be sent to counties that want them. The rest will be distributed to civic groups such as the League of Women Voters, Hersh said.