GILROY
– The county registrar of voters is encouraging Gilroyans to
submit their registration forms by next week’s deadline to vote in
the March 2 election.
GILROY – The county registrar of voters is encouraging Gilroyans to submit their registration forms by next week’s deadline to vote in the March 2 election.
Voters have until Feb. 2 to register or re-register in time to receive a sample ballot in the mail. The final deadline to register in time to vote is Feb. 17.
All registered voters will receive a letter informing them of their polling place location, but the registrar’s office wants to make sure voters get a sample ballot.
“The sample ballot contains lots of information about the candidates, the issues, and we want them to have that information,” said Elma Rosas, spokeswoman for the registrar.
The Secretary of State mails a state voter pamphlet, while the Registrar of Voters will start mailing the local sample ballots soon, she said. The sample ballot contains candidates’ statements, impartial analysis and arguments for and against local measures.
Voter registration forms are available at public offices around the city, including City Hall, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Gilroy Public Library and the Gilroy Post Office. Forms are also available to download from the county Registrar of Voters’ Web site (www.sccvote.org).
The forms may be mailed – postmarked by the Feb. 2 or 17 deadlines – or dropped off at the Registrar of Voters’ Office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose.
Anyone who has changed their address, name or political party affiliation must re-register.
As of Jan. 2, there are 17,365 registered voters in Gilroy, Rosas said, although that number will likely increase slightly as election day nears. Of Gilroy voters, 8,514 are Democrats and 5,295 are Republicans. Another 2,873 are non-partisan or declined to state their affiliation, 374 are American Independents, 116 Libertarian, 90 affiliate with the Green Party, 49 are Peace and Freedom, 22 are Natural Law and 32 belong to other miscellaneous political parties.
Voter turnout in Gilroy for the gubernatorial recall election neared 50 percent, but turnout for the Nov. 4 election, in which three City Councilmen were elected, was only 26.8 percent.
Turnout in March could be higher than it was in November, Rosas said.
“In something like this, we could get some more (voters) just because it is a presidential election, and we could see some more interest in voting for president,” Rosas said.
The registrar is also looking for registered voters to staff the polls in Gilroy and elsewhere in the county. Poll workers earn a stipend between $95 and $130 for the day, and earn more if they are bilingual.
Touchscreen voting, unveiled in Gilroy and other areas of Santa Clara County in the last election, will be used in all 783 precincts countywide in March.
Voters may also cast absentee ballots by mailing them to the county registrar or dropping them off at a polling place by 8 p.m. Election Day. Absentee ballots are included in the sample ballot or may be requested in writing from the registrar’s office. The last day absentee ballots will be mailed to voters is seven days before the election.
The presidential primary election may be the most visible race at this point, however, Gilroyans will also be choosing candidates to run for seats on the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate, state Senate and state Assembly, as well as two Superior Court judge offices. This will be the first election after the most recent redistricting for state Senate: Gilroy will now elect a state Senator for District 13, instead of District 15. Republicans will also vote for candidates for their party’s Santa Clara County Central Committee.
Four state propositions are on the ballot, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $15 billion state bond; a $12 billion school facilities bond; a proposition to allow the Legislature to pass the budget and related bills with a 55 percent vote instead of the current two-thirds majority; and the balanced budget act, which would require the Legislature to pass a balanced budget and maintain reserve requirements.
There are four local measures as well: Gavilan College’s $108 million bond; a county library tax; a regional traffic relief plan; and a measure to place juvenile hall and probation oversight into the hands of the Board of Supervisors.
Because the election is a “modified closed primary,” voters registered with a qualified political party may only vote the election ballot of that party. Voters who decline to state their party may choose one party’s primary ballot to use.
For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters’ Office at 299-VOTE (8683).
