Registrar apologizes for election’s timing

A spokesman for the Orange County Registrar of Voters on Wednesday

apologized to the Jewish community in the 48th Congressional District

for scheduling a special election on Oct. 4, which is also the date

of Rosh Hashana this year.

The registrar’s office announced 10 sites around the county --

including one in Newport Beach -- where voters will be able to cast

ballots early in the primary election to replace former Rep. Chris

Cox.”Part of the mission of the registrar of voters is to conduct

elections in an accessible manner. We failed in that part of our

mission,” Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said at a

press conference.

Earlier this month Schwarzenegger called a special general

election for Dec. 6 to fill the House seat, and state law requires

the primary to be held eight or more Tuesdays prior to that date.

That would have set the primary on Oct. 11, but state law also

prohibits an election the day after a state holiday, and Oct. 10 is

Columbus Day.

Jewish groups said the choice of Oct. 4 was insensitive because

observant Jews are not supposed to drive or write that day and

therefore would be unable to vote.

To alleviate that problem, the registrar’s office plans to offer

early voting, probably from Sept. 25 to 29, and to encourage people

to vote absentee.

Those concessions and the apology pacified Jewish organizations,

but some elected officials said they’re still open to the option of

changing the election date.

“I think that there’s a real mea culpa,” Anti-Defamation League

Regional Director Joyce Greenspan said in a phone interview. “It’ll

also be a lesson to other districts, other communities, to be more

sensitive to religious days in our very ethnic culture.”

Although representatives of Jewish organizations said they were

satisfied with the apology and provisions for absentee and early

voting, a state legislator continues to push a bill that would allow

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to move the election.

Earlier this week in Sacramento, Assemblyman Keith Richman

proposed a bill that would allow the governor to hold the election

Oct. 11 or another date, possibly even in conjunction with the

statewide special election on Nov. 8.

Richman said he wrote the bill because he thinks it’s “just wrong”

to hold an election on one of the Jewish High Holy Days. The

legislature could act on the bill as soon as next week.

A change in the election date would mean added costs for the

Orange County Registrar because covers for sample ballots already

have been printed.

“I always have concerns about costs,” Richman said, “but I think

that the relatively minor cost to ensure that our democracy does not

disenfranchise any voters is appropriate.”

Early voting will be offered at 10 locations around the

Congressional district, including Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach.

The dates are still being finalized, Kelley said.

Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell said he’ll propose that

county officials adopt a list of dates, including religious holidays,

when elections won’t be scheduled. He also said he’ll work with

Richman to put similar provisions into state law.