Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said that her staff delivered absentee ballots for the Nov. 2 general election to the Lakeport Post Office on Monday.
Approximately 16,072 vote-by-mail ballots went out, she said.
Fridley – who noted she got her own absentee ballot in the mail on Wednesday – said voters should have the ballots no later than next week.
Her office already is getting some completed ballots back from voters, she said.
It's also still possible to register to vote. The deadline to vote in the Nov. 2 primary is 15 days before the election.
“We received quite a few registrations today,” she said on Wednesday.
Sample ballots for county voters went out in the mail from a Sacramento vendor on Wednesday morning, according to Fridley.
An addressing glitch on the vendor's end caused a delay, said Fridley, noting that she likes to have the sample ballot and vote by mail ballots go out at the same time.
Missing from local mailboxes is the state's voting information pamphlets, said Friday.
“We're waiting for the state to give us a schedule,” she said, noting that Lake appears to be one of the counties that hasn't received the pamphlets.
For the general election, there are 32,098 registered voters, Fridley said. That's down from the 32,763 voters registered at the time of the June 8 primary.
In the primary, 6,279 precinct ballots were cast, for a 19.2 percent voting rate, as opposed to the 9,280 vote by mail ballots cast that time, a 28.3-percent return, based on county election records. Overall, 47.5 percent of the county's registered voters cast ballots in the primary.
There were 14,167 Democrats registered to vote in the primary; of that group, 7,628 cast ballots for a 53.8 percent voting rate, records showed.
Democrats cast more ballots by mail than at precincts, with 4,493 absentees, or 31.7 percent, versus 3,133 ballots, or 22.1 percent, cast at polling places.
The county's registered Republicans, 9,574 in all for the primary, also favored absentee voting, with 3,526 absentee ballots case, a 36.8 percent return rate, and 25.6 percent, or 2,546 voters, casting their ballots at precincts. Overall, 6,072 Republicans cast ballots, amounting to 63.4 percent of the registered voters for that party.
The two major parties had higher turnout rates among their own voters than the American Independent, Green, Libertarian, and Peace and Freedom parties, according to the Registrar of Voters Office. For a full rundown, see www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/ROV/Final_Election_Results.htm.
The last general election, which was the 2008 presidential election, “was rather unique,” said Fridley, with high voter interest and turnout.
“The turnout and interest always seems to be greater in a presidential election than a general election,” she said.
A better comparison for looking at potential voter turnout in the November election is to look at the November 2006 election, she suggested.
However, there are still marked differences between this year and 2006, when the District 3 supervisorial race was heavily contested, but the sheriff and district attorney's races – which this year are producing the most interest – were single-man races.
In November 2006, there were 31,564 registered voters in the county, slightly less than the 32,098 voters so far registered for this November, according to Fridley.
In the general election four years ago, actual voter turnout was at 62.6 percent, with 10,316 absentee and 9,441 precinct votes cast, said Fridley.
Fridley said county residents can still request absentee ballots through the mail, with the deadline set at Oct. 26. Voters needing a vote by mail ballot after this date must appear in person in the Registrar of Voters Office on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
In order to be counted, ballots must be received at the Registrar of Voters Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 2.
However, Fridley recommended that voters return ballots no later than Oct. 27.
She said vote by mail ballots returned close to Election Day – including ballots dropped off at the polls – will be processed and counted during the 28-day official canvass following Election Day.
For candidate statements for the races for Congress, state Senate, Lake County district attorney, Konocti Unified School District Board of Trustees, and council races for the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, visit www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/ROV/2010statements.htm .
For additional information about absentee voting or the upcoming election, the Registrar of Voters Office can be reached at 707-263-2372.
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