City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said that the county is the election services operator, and that the June special election notified all voters where their designated polling places were located so “nobody was excluded in the process. . .”Press reports are already addressing the smaller amount of polling places for the upcoming recall election, he added, and state law in recent years has made it easier for voters to obtain permanent absentee status.Councilman Rick Cook asked that the city communicate with the county and Bobkiewicz said that contact would be made on behalf of Victoria and “express council concern.”“On one previous election I called the county and they said we had nothing to do with it, that the city picks the sites,” said Victoria. “I called the city and they said it’s the county. . .if we’re only going to have six polling places who determines where those six are going to be.”Vice Mayor Gabino Aguirre asked that the issue be put on a future council agenda. “I want to bring this back for discussion knowing an election is coming up for the state recall; perhaps we can bring this back before then.”The county has already indicated that it plans to consolidate precincts for the special election due to cost cutting, said Bobkiewicz.
City Council: Paucity of polling places, location changes questioned
August 08, 2003
Santa Paula City Council
The paucity of polling places for the June 2nd special election will probably be mirrored for the projected October election letting voters decide whether or not to recall Gov. Gray Davis, the city manager told the City Council at the August 4th meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe paucity of polling places for the June 2nd special election will probably be mirrored for the projected October election letting voters decide whether or not to recall Gov. Gray Davis, the city manager told the City Council at the August 4th meeting.During public comment, downtown merchant and Latino Town Hall representative Jess Victoria noted that the special June election - that successfully targeted a 32.5-acre parcel for inclusion in the city’s development area - offered only six of the usual 16 polling places for voters.“If sixteen represents the full voice of the community and it is deleted down to six, either it is impeding or making it hard for the others to register their voice by voting,” he noted. “The Department of Justice addressed that particular point where polling places were moved from one place to another to get the desired result,” during its voting rights lawsuit against the city.Victoria said his late father often had to contend with relocated polling places that led to his not voting in numerous elections.Latino Town Hall recommends that the city “establish a firm sixteen polling places whether for a local, state for federal election.” If the city fails to respond, “I do not want to make it sound like a threat, but we will be policing and watching,” polling places.
