NEW VOTERS RUSH TO BEAT DEADLINE FOR RECALL POLL.

Byline: Rick Orlov  Staff Writer

Thousands of Californians registered to vote over the past month to take part in the historic Oct. 7 recall election of Gov. Gray Davis - even as experts disagreed over how many will actually cast ballots.

Exact figures on the number of voters is not expected until later this week, the Secretary of State's Office said.

``It was an extraordinary, phenomenal night,'' said Kristin Heffron, chief deputy Registrar-Recorder, whose Norwalk offices remained open until midnight Monday to take in last-minute applications.

``There was a steady stream of people coming and they were asking all the questions committed voters do, such as where their polling location will be and when can they expect the sample ballots.''

Heffron said final figures were not available, but it is believed the county picked up some 100,000 new voters to swell the voter rolls to 3.9 million.

Also, she said election officials had a sense that registration among Republican voters was higher than in past years.

``Los Angeles is basically a Democratic county, but the number of new registered Republicans seems almost equal, so that's a big surge,'' Heffron said.

State officials said they also expect to see an increase beyond the 14.8 million people who were registered as of Aug. 8 as either Democrats, Republicans, independent or another party.

``There has been a lot of interest in this election, and we are seeing that with the registrations,'' said Teri Carbough, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Kevin Shelley.

``What we have to do now is make sure voters are educated about the ballot and we are encouraging (them) to vote absentee so they have time to look over the ballot and we can have time to process it.''

Election officials last week indicated they had received more absentee ballots than in any recent election - in excess of some 500,000 - and were expecting more as the election nears.

There was a slight delay because of a federal court ruling that placed the election on temporary hold, but officials believe the number of absentee ballots will pick up in the final 12 days leading up to the election.

Republicans have been particularly aggressive in registering new voters, with one consultant saying an analysis showed the GOP was getting more than 40 percent of the new voters, with the remaining split among independents and Democrats.

But Republican consultant Allan Hoffenblum said it will be a matter of making sure those new voters go to the polls or take out absentee ballots.

``I don't see people who are against the recall rushing out to get absentee ballots,'' Hoffenblum said. ``Recall supporters are more motivated and more likely to vote absentee. The question then becomes what their mood is when they fill out the ballot.''

Bob Mulholland, political director for the California Democratic Party, said the analysis of more conservative voters using absentee ballots is no longer true.

``That was the case in 1982, but everyone - Democrats, Republicans, unions, teachers - have their own absentee programs,'' Mulholland said. ``Absentee voters are no different than other voters these days.''

Also, he said, there remains a question about whether newly registered voters will turn out.

``About half of them stay home,'' Mulholland said. ``Unless they went out and sought to re-register, they aren't necessarily motivated voters. Also, a lot of people registered just to sign the recall petition. They might not go to the polls because of the way the campaign has gone.''

Heffron said the county will continue to accept absentee ballot applications through next Tuesday and also will begin making touch-screen early voting available starting today.

Any Los Angeles County registered voter can vote at any of the 12 touch- screen early voting sites, between today and Oct. 3 including Saturdays and Sundays.

Locations include the Mid-Valley Library at 16244 Nordhoff St., North Hills, and the Fire Training Center at 42110 Sixth St. West, Lancaster. Other locations and hours for touch-screen voting can be obtained on the county Registrar-Recorder's Web site at lavote.net and going to the special election section.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com