Record-setting Election Day expected

An unprecendented number of voters and absentee ballots means Sonoma County election officials will be working hard today – and continuing the job they started last week.
Polls are open today between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Assistant Registrar of Voters Gloria Coulter said Thursday that her office had so far received some 93,000 vote-by-mail ballots of the 165,000 sent out last month.
“We’re at the point now where we’re actually opening up the envelopes and getting them ready for the card reader,” Coulter said, adding that each signature needs to be verified before the vote can be counted. “These are record highs for us – both sent out and returned.”
Election worker Steve Hillman said the county’s current voter rolls stand at 252,372 – with 132,150 registered as Democrat, 59,113 as Republican and 48,320 declining to state. That’s up from a June 3 registration total of 234,851, including 121,600 Democrats, 57,865 Republicans and 43,187 declining to state. Of the other political parties contending for members, Hillman said none totalled more than 5,000 apiece.
The numbers mean county Democrats have seen an eight percent increase in registration over two percent for Republicans. Mary Logasa, first Vice President of Sonoma Valley Republican Women, said that’s not surprising given Sonoma County’s demographics.
“We’re cautious but optimistic,” she said with a laugh. “On the other hand, the whole thing is rather depressing.”
Logasa said that since Republican candidate John McCain has no Sonoma Valley headquarters, her group has been working for the candidate in Santa Rosa. But they’ve also been registering voters at the Tuesday night Farmers Market and, while those signing up to vote can do so for any party, Logasa said she’s heard from a few line-crossers.
“Oftentimes people are reregistering because they move, but we’ve had a number of Democrats who said they’re going to vote Republican for the first time this year,” she said. “That’s been my experience – they don’t like Obama.”
Tom Martin, president of the Sonoma Valley Democratic Club, said his group has also been manning the Farmers Market. He said some 60 percent of Valley voters are doing so by mail, and added that those registering as Democrats have two main motivations.
“In Sonoma, the people who come up to our table on Tuesday nights to register … if an issue comes up it’s very frequently the war,” Martin said. “The other, very simply, is ‘We’re for Obama.’”
Martin reminds those who want to vote, but who can’t get to their polling place, that the Sonoma Valley Democratic Club is offering free rides today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout Sonoma Valley. Those interested should call 707.939.8767 and provide their name, address and time for pickup.