Half a dozen polling booths neatly lined a wall of Richard
Hoenck’s garage near Glen View Elementary School but not a single
voter cast their vote in person during the lunch hour.
Half a dozen polling booths neatly lined a wall of Richard Hoenck’s garage near Glen View Elementary School but not a single voter cast their vote in person during the lunch hour.
“We got a big rush earlier,” Hoenck said. “Two whole people at a time. We were told this was going to be a long, boring day.”
Hoenck voted absentee himself but about 30 voters dropped by his house that morning – far fewer than the 80 who cast their ballots in his garage on Dartmouth Place the morning of the presidential election.
Six propositions intended to address California’s growing budget deficit are on the statewide special election ballot. If passed, they would extend temporary taxes levied by the state earlier this year, shift funds to education, spend against future lottery revenues, and shift tax dollars out of the state’s mental health services into the general fund, among other things.
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters spokeswoman Elma Rosas said election officials expect about a 40 percent countywide turnout today. That’s vastly lower than November’s turnout of about 85 percent. More than 789,000 voters are registered in Santa Clara County.
Around the corner at Glen View Elementary School, Gilroy Fire Captain Art Amaro cast yes votes for each proposition except 1D and 1E, which he said were “deceptive.”
“I didn’t like the wording and I didn’t like that they’re taking money away from kids,” he said.
At lunchtime, only 23 voters had cast their ballot at the Glen View library – one of about two dozen polling spots in Gilroy. Other than several volunteers, Amaro was the sole occupant of the library. While most voters submitted an absentee ballot this election, Amaro said he comes out for every election to cast his vote at the polls.
He voted for propositions 1A, 1B, 1C and 1F because, “even though I don’t like to pay taxes just like everyone else, you vote yes for what you think is right and no for what you don’t. That’s what this country was built on.”
Polling place volunteers at some of the city’s most populated precincts reported no lines. For every resident who cast their vote at the polls, another resident dropped off a vote-by-mail ballot, volunteers reported. Election clerks suggested the reason for the relatively low activity on election day, in the last few elections, is because more voters are requesting mail-in ballots weeks prior to the official polling date and special elections typically draw lower interest than general elections.
Rosas said that because of the low anticipated participation, about 250 fewer polling places were open today than in November.
She added that, as of 1 p.m., no significant problems or long lines had been reported anywhere in the county.
Up in Morgan Hill, frustrations over taxes, government waste and stalled downtown growth brought some residents out this morning to make a difference at the voting booth.
Measure A, which the Morgan Hill City Council resurrected after it failed as Measure H in November 2008, would amend city ordinances to ease the permitting process for up to 500 housing units in downtown Morgan Hill.
Rosemary Kamei, a Woodland Estates voter who sits on the board of directors for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, voted “Yes” on the local measure because of the economic development opportunities it could open up.
“It’s a step in the right direction, and it will help the downtown,” Kamei said.
Some Measure A detractors were also out at the polling places, which were mostly quiet and vacant Tuesday morning. Linebaugh voted “No” on the measure because he feels it’s not the best way to spur development in Morgan Hill’s downtown.
“If you want to revitalize downtown, I don’t think building 500 houses is going to make a difference,” Linebaugh said, adding that a better option could be to provide incentives to “Ma and Pa shops” that are considering moving here.
Staff Writer Michael Moore contributed to this story.
