With election day just around the corner, you may have last-minute voting questions or concerns about what to expect in Pacific Palisades on November 2. Don’t fret. The answers, too, are close at hand. But first, some statistics. In last October’s California gubernatorial recall election, 48 percent of eligible Palisadians were registered Democrat, 34 percent were registered Republican, 14 percent were independents or declined to state their party, and the rest were ‘scattered among small parties,’ according to Joe Halper, Democratic Club President. He also told the Palisadian-Post that 52 percent of registered voters in the Palisades voted in that election. This year, Halper predicts that there will be ‘major shifts because of the amount of interest and depth of feelings that have gone into this election’ and the result will be a greater turnout of voters. Based on phone calls to registered Democrats and independents in the Palisades, he says that about one-third of them are voting absentee. In the last six weeks, the volunteers at the Democratic headquarters in Santa Monica (located at 900 Wilshire Blvd.), have registered over 5,000 new voters, Halper says. As of the October 18 registration deadline, L.A. County had nearly four million registered voters, according to a Los Angeles Times article that appeared Sunday (‘New Voters’ Impact Debated’). However, the article stated that ‘in most states where figures are available, it is nonpartisan voters who have recorded the largest increases’ and the ‘political significance of the new registrations remains unclear.’ What also remains unclear is which new voters will show up at the polls on election day. Palisades Republican Club president Curt Baer says that the Republican headquarters office in the 881 Alma Real building has been ‘trying to get out the vote and answer any questions our voters have.’ He adds that ‘we’ve seen a lot of enthusiastic support’ for President George Bush. One November 2, volunteers at both the Republican and Democratic headquarters will be monitoring voters and contacting registered voters who have not yet cast their ballots to remind them to vote. In response to the nationwide focus on voter protection at the polls, Democratic headquarters manager Marcy Winograd says, ‘We’re taking a more proactive stance to protect the right to vote, making sure everyone knows their rights and that they are entitled to a provisional ballot if they have a problem at the polls.’ She adds that Democratic headquarters will have a table set up on election day in front of the People’s Bank on Sunset, across from Starbucks. Should questions or concerns arise on November 2, Republican voters can call the headquarters at 454-4345. The election protection hotline for the Democratic Party is 877-321-VOTE; to set up transportation to the polls, call 451-1094. What voters should know is that those standing in line to vote at 7 p.m. are entitled to vote, and everyone is entitled to a provisional ballot, according to Winograd. She adds that ‘a voter is allowed to wear a [political] button or T-shirt as long as he or she is not campaigning [at the polls].’ With 29 precincts in the Palisades from the Riviera area to Santa Monica Canyon, voters should check their sample ballots for the address of their polling place, which may have changed from last year.
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