It's No Small Thing

Registrar of Voters as busy as ever

There are no small elections, only small voter turnout.

At least that's the theory around the registrar of voters this weekend. On Saturday, a small, but steady crowd arrived to vote early before Tuesday's gubernatorial primary election.

"It's a huge logistical effort," said Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler when comparing this Tuesday's election to the November 2008 presidential election. This week, voter turnout is expected to be between 35-45 percent, compared to more than 83 percent in November of '08.

Still, all 1,149 precincts around the county will be open, staffed by more than 5300 poll workers.

"The preparation is really just about the same," said Seiler standing in the back room where all the ballots will end up to be counted Tuesday night. "Election night, where we're standing right now, will have about 300 people."

On Saturday, training sessions were held for those counters to make the process as seamless as possible.

San Diego county voters are deciding on everything from candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and state attorney general, to a list of propositions and smaller city and countywide elections.

While this gubernatorial primary election has certainly gotten much less attention than a presidential election, the voters who showed up early to cast their ballot say, it is every bit as important.

"It's my duty. I feel everybody has a voice," said early voter Jim Rodd.

"You gotta exercise your right to vote," said Greg Roel, "If you don't vote, you can't complain."

The polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and stay open until 8 p.m.

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