Dep. County Clerk Lopez said that if an absentee voter has not yet mailed in their completed ballot in, well, don’t.“We are encouraging the voters at this time to come into our office or on Election Day they can go to any polling place in Ventura County,” to return their ballots. “We’re stressing Ventura County; you’d be surprised how many people ask if they can drop their ballots off,” at polling places outside the county.If you have not received an absentee ballot it could be because of the volume of mail being handled by the Post Office.“Once the ballot leaves our office we have no control how long it will take,” to reach the voter, noted Lopez, who said the Elections Division Office (654-2781) would verify when the ballot was mailed to the voter and give them voting information.A ballot handed in to a polling place outside the voter’s home county it will not be counted. If a ballot is mailed and postmarked at any time before the 8 p.m. closing of the polls on Tuesday but is not received by the county until after 8 p.m. on Election Day, it will not be counted.But, “People will have plenty of time to drop off their ballots,” on Election Day as the polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., Lopez noted.There has been some confusion about absentee ballots: the county voting guide notes that the last day to request an absentee ballot was Oct. 26, but many people misunderstood and believed it was the deadline to return the absentee ballot, “definitely not so,” said Lopez.For more information on the Santa Paula City Hall Election Night Open House, call Herrera at 933-4208.
Registration up, Election Night Open House broadcast planned for SP
October 29, 2004
Santa Paula News
Voter registration has jumped across the nation and even in Santa Paula, according to Election’s Division statistics.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesVoter registration has jumped across the nation and even in Santa Paula, according to Election’s Division statistics.And so many absentee votes are already being received that county election officials are urging those who have not mailed their absentee ballots to wait and drop them off Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, at any polling place in the county or at the County Government Center in Ventura.After visiting the polls, for voters and political junkies the place to be on Election Night will be at Santa Paula City Hall starting at 8 p.m., where a special live broadcast of results will start at 9 p.m. on cable Channel 10, hosted by journalist Peggy Kelly.There will be a potluck to share and “everyone is encouraged to attend the open house for any or all of the evening,” said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, who even obtained some vintage election campaign music for the event.Absentee voter results are usually released shortly after 8 p.m. when the polls close. Election updates for City Council, City Clerk, City Treasurer, elementary and high school candidates, and Measures J, K, and L, will be posted in the Council Chambers and broadcast over Channel 10 as they are received. City Hall will remain open until all precincts have been reported.According to Deputy Ventura County Clerk Olivia Lopez, Santa Paula now has 10,791 registered voters and the Blanchard Community Library District – which exceeds city limits – has 11,970 registered voters.The number of registered voters within city limits has increased, said Deputy City Clerk Josie Herrera. “That’s up by almost 500 voters! It’s great that more people are interested in voting, realizing that their vote does count.”Countywide, voter registration has increased by 32,000 since the March primary and now stands at 398,652, according to election officials who have sent out more than 125,000 absentee ballots. More than 32,000 ballots had been returned to the county by Tuesday.
