Online exclusive: Shelley and panel highlight, respond to recall concerns

Voting in the October recall may not be as easy as simply
choosing a candidate, according to California Secretary of State
Kevin Shelley and a panel of experts who discussed the issue
Wednesday night at Schoenberg Hall.

At an event sponsored by UCLA Government & Community
Relations, The League of Women Voters and the California Policy
Research Center, Shelley said though elections officials are taking
measures to prevent confusion among voters on election day, the
sheer number of candidates that will appear on next month’s
recall ballot could puzzle many voters.

Shelley added that no amount of planning and preparation could
compensate for the the fact that the state had only two-and-a-half
months to prepare for the recall.

“Let me be clear … there will be problems,” he
said.

Shelley encouraged voters to review sample ballots sent to them
by mail, and to vote by absentee ballot to aid the state in the
elections process.

“One of the best ways to avoid standing in line on
election day is to vote in advance,” he said. Though the
recall will be difficult for state elections officials, Shelley
said one positive aspect of the election is its ability to
stimulate voter interest.

“If there’s any unintended consequence of this
election, it’s the tens of thousands of voters that are drawn
into the process,” he said.

Shelley departed after giving a brief speech and answering some
questions, leaving the remaining five panelists to elaborate on
issues pertaining to the recall.

While many appear interested in the recall, Political Science
Professor Lynn Vavreck, one of the panelists, said it is difficult
to gauge how many voters will show up to the polls.

One factor affecting voter turnout is the level of
competitiveness in any given election, Vavreck said, adding that
the consolidation of precincts in the upcoming election could be
enough to discourage some people from voting.

However, Vavreck said this discouragement could be offset by the
state’s efforts to warn voters about differing precinct
locations.

Other panelists addressed a range of difficulties voters could
face when deciding on a candidate, and another panelist, Law
Professor Daniel Lowenstein, said voters need to decide what the
recall election is about.

Lowenstein said while some may vote for the recall because they
prefer another candidate over Gov. Gray Davis, others will approach
the recall as a vote on whether or not Davis has wronged the state
in a way warranting removal from office.

And though Lowenstein emphasized it is up to each individual
voter to determine the election’s purpose, he also expressed
his own opinion on the subject.

“We should see it, in some sense, as an election on some
kind of malfeasance,” he said.

Beatrice Collins, a Westwood resident and a retired New York
state government worker, said she attended Tuesday’s event
because she felt she hadn’t heard “anything real on
really anything” related to the recall.

“I’m very much against the recall, and I wanted to
hear these folks who would hopefully give us some
background,” she said.

Loara Cadavona, one of the event’s organizers, said
Collins was one of just under 200 people who showed up to hear
Shelley and the panelists speak.

Of those 200, just a handful were students; but Michael Swords,
another event organizer, said UCLA Government & Community
Relations attempted to promote the event through student groups,
particularly those that are politically affiliated.

During the panel discussion, Vavreck repeatedly mentioned that
despite numerous attempts to increase voter turnout among young
people, this is the segment of the population least likely to vote.
Because they tend to move frequently and are less likely to be
habitual voters, they are less invested in politics, Vavreck
said.