June 4, 2008 - Quiet day for poll workers: Election turnout extremely light

Paper: Chico Enterprise-Record ( Chico, CA)
Title: Quiet day for poll workers: Election turnout extremely light
Date: June 4, 2008
Author: STACEY KENNELLY - Staff Intern

Butte County poll workers sat through a quiet election day, as few voters trickled in between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Turnout for the direct primary election was predicted to be small, and it was, said Dale Hatchings, a poll worker at the Community Center polling place. Final results showed a turnout in Butte County of 30.5 percent. Glenn was far better at 47.1 percent.

The limited issues on the ballot, including eminent domain, did not spark an interest in the community.

"Who's getting all charged up about eminent domain?" he asked. "No one."

Clerk-Recorder Candace Grubbs spent election day touring polling places throughout the county, and called the turnout "extremely light and disappointing."

She said in Chico, where there was no supervisorial race in Districts 2 and 3, turnout "looked dismal."

Many voters expressed frustration to poll workers about having to vote in February and June, said poll worker Mandi McKay. Holding two elections is expensive for Butte County, and more people would vote on issues such as eminent domain if they were included on the presidential primary ballot.

"It's kind of a waste of time and money," said McKay, who thought her first poll volunteer experience was interesting.

About half the people who came into the polling place dropped off mail-in ballots, she said.

Poll workers also saw a pattern in the age of voters, McKay said. About 80 percent of the people who came into the Community Center to vote appeared to be older than 40.

However, poll workers at the Chico Masonic Family Center saw a "fair mix" of the age of voters, and three 18-year-olds came into the center to vote with their parents for the first time, said poll worker Joyce Anderson.

Workers at the Masonic Center's poll location didn't expect many voters, but were still surprised to see how few people came in, Anderson said.

"We haven't been swamped at all," she said.

Most people who came to the center dropped off mail-in ballots, she said. She estimated that 200 people had dropped off mail-in ballots as of 5 p.m., which was the busiest time of day.

Chico resident Catherine Clark came into the center to vote because she lost her mail-in ballot, she said. Voting is important because residents can influence decisions made by the county and state.

"If you don't have a vote, you don't have a voice," she said. "And if you don't have a voice, you can't be heard."