CALIFORNIA VOTERS CARING, CONFLICTED TIGHT RACE TEARS AT STATE'S LOYALTIES.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

California voters got swept up in the close presidential election but exit polls and interviews Tuesday showed they were confused and conflicted about which candidate would best serve their own and the nation's interest.

With one of the highest voter turnouts in recent history - some voters reported waits of up to 40 minutes - Californians mirrored the country in their support of Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush.

Gore won the support of women, minorities, singles and those making less than $30,000 a year, while Bush was the favorite among whites, men and those making more than $75,000 a year, according to The Associated Press and exit polls provided by Voter News Service.

The closeness of the race brought a new level of interest among all groups of voters.

``I am seeing students getting involved like I haven't seen in a generation,'' said H. Eric Schockman, an assistant dean at the University of Southern California. ``And, among my contemporaries, there is genuine discussion and interest in the race and I see people genuinely concerned about what is going to happen.''

Schockman credited all the coverage being given the race by the all-news cable television networks and the growth of the Internet.

``People are more tuned in to the various information sources and they are into the responsiveness of it all,'' Schockman said.

Republican pollster Arnie Steinberg also credited the campaigns - particularly that of Bush - in raising interest among the GOP, which has been on a downward slide for the past two years.

What is confusing for voters, Steinberg said, is that they are uncertain of which candidate will be the best for them personally.

``People feel reasonably happy with how they are doing, but they are not sure if the credit should go to Gore and President Clinton,'' Steinberg said. ``And, it's also confusing because the issues we thought we'd be dealing with, like gun control and abortion, never emerged.''

Joe Cerrell, a Democratic consultant, said he could not recall a time in more than 30 years when he had to wait in line to vote as he did Tuesday.

``It's all the money that's been spent here and the horse race nature of it all,'' Cerrell said. ``This is what we've wanted to see for years. I always talk about how people in Russia had to kill to get the right to vote and we have to kill to get people to vote.''

In addition to the presidential race and all the attention paid to it, Cerrell said the local races also played a role with heavy direct-mail campaigns on behalf of candidates in congressional and Assembly races.

Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant, said the turnout Tuesday does not even consider the record number of absentee ballots, accounting for some 3.2 million voters - more than the votes of many states.

``While we don't know the final, it seems that Bush was able to energize his base and get them out and was able to make some inroads,'' Hoffenblum said. ``But no one will really know for a few days until we have the final results and a chance to really look at them.''

Political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, who also reviewed some of the Voter News Service results, said she also saw conflicts among voters.

``Those who said they care about honesty were going for Bush,'' Jeffe said. ``But those who said they cared about how someone would deal with complex issues were going for Gore.

``And, at the same time, there is no real sense that people want to change. They're comfortable and they don't want to lose what they have.''