Poll sites need staff

By Troy Anderson
Staff Writer

Two years after a "perfect storm" slammed into Los Angeles County's March 2002 election, the problem of too few polling-place workers still plagues officials as they prepare for a confusing semi-open primary on Super Tuesday.

County Registrar-Recorder Conny McCormack said Wednesday she needs 500 more poll workers to volunteer before Tuesday, and she is concerned about the "incredibly complicated" balloting.

Voters and poll workers may be perplexed by the complex rules of the primary that allow nonpartisan voters to cast ballots in some partisan races.

In addition, the county will be using a new voting system known as InkaVote for the first time.

McCormack expects to dispatch hundreds of roving troubleshooters to ensure the election is not as bad as the one in March 2002, when many poll workers didn't show up and 121 precincts opened late.

She is counting on the roving workers to fill any gaps in staffing, help explain the rules to voters and take care of other difficulties.

"We are not anticipating any significant problems," McCormack said, "but we'll have to wait and see."

"I think she is as prepared as she can be, but it's a new system, and there could be problems," said county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who was critical of McCormack's office after the 2002 vote.

The election is the first presidential primary to be conducted under a new election system called the modified closed primary. Voters registered with a political party may only vote on that party's candidates.

California for years had a closed primary, open only to party members. In 2002, the state switched to an open primary that allowed crossover voting, which party leaders objected to and which was defeated in a court challenge.

"It used to be closed, then it was open, and now it's slightly ajar," McCormack said.

Nonpartisan registered voters may vote either on the nonpartisan portions of the ballot only or they may opt to vote for candidates from one of three political parties Democratic, Republican or American Independent that adopted rules allowing "crossover" voting in this election.

In the presidential contest, the Democratic Party will allow nonpartisan voters to vote while the Republican Party will not.

"It's complex in terms of what the nonpartisans can do if they decide to choose one of the political parties," McCormack said.

"As an unintended consequence of actions the Legislature took two years ago allowing nonpartisans to participate in some partisan elections, we've ended up with something that is incredibly complex," she said.

As a result of a federal ban on the use of punch-card voting systems used in the county since 1968, the county spent $3 million to switch to a similar-looking InkaVote system in which voters record their votes in ink.

"We won't have any chad anymore," McCormack said.

Based on trends so far, McCormack expects a low turnout Tuesday.

Of 400,000 absentee ballots mailed out, only 150,000 had been returned as of Wednesday and 10,000 people had voted at 16 different touch-screen voting locations.

State Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, said he's concerned about the potential for fraud or manipulation of electronic voting systems, and he has proposed legislation to ensure touch-screen machines include ballot paper trails.

"No system is fail-safe," Levine said. "To just assume the system is foolproof and not have paper backups as a safeguard would be an unwise proposition."

Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson@dailynews.com