VOTE METHODS TO BE REVIEWED BURBANK MAY CHANGE TO ALL-MAIL BALLOTS.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer BURBANK - In an effort to increase voter turnout, the City Council tonight will consider eliminating polling booths in favor of mail-in ballots during all future elections. The proposal comes at a time when counties across California are updating their voting machines voting machine, instrument for recording and counting votes. The voting machine itself is generally positioned in a booth, often closed off by a curtain to assure secrecy for the voter. and offering more voting options. The new state-of-the-art touch-screen voting systems Noun 1. voting system - a legal system for making democratic choices electoral system legal system - a system for interpreting and enforcing the laws , for example, are now available for early voting Early voting, is the process which voters can cast their vote on a single or series of days prior to an election. Early voting can take place remotely, such as by mail, or in person, usually in designated early voting polling stations. in 21 sites across the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County. If approved, the Burbank City Council would draw up an ordinance that would take effect next year or prepare a ballot initiative asking voters if they want the change. Based on evidence from last year's special election on Measure A, in which 30 percent of the 55,000 registered voters cast a ballot during the mail-in drive, Burbank officials believe the city is ready to make the switch to the new system, even at a higher cost. Last year's special election cost $122,386 compared with $94,144 during the 2001 general election in which 11,165 residents voted. The per-vote cost was $6.28 for the mail-in ballot and $8.43 for traditional voting. City Clerk In the United States, a City Clerk is an elected or appointed official who is responsible as the official keeper of the municipal records. In some places, the Clerk may be known as the "Village Clerk" or "Town Clerk". Margarita Margarita (märgärē`tä), island, 444 sq mi (1,150 sq km), in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. With many smaller islands it constitutes the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta (1990 pop. 263,748). Campos Campos (käm`p  s), city (1996 pop. 391,299), Rio de Janeiro state, SE Brazil, on the Paraíba River near its mouth. said that while it's difficult to tell what drove the voters to cast their ballots last October - passion for Measure A, which placed a cap and curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. on flights at Burbank Airport, or the convenience of mail - the ultimate goal was to attract voters. ``It may be that this was just a passionate issue, however the trend shows that more people are requesting absentee One who has left, either temporarily or permanently, his or her domicile or usual place of residence or business. A person beyond the geographical borders of a state who has not authorized an agent to represent him or her in legal proceedings that may be commenced against him or her ballots,'' Campos said. The process for an all-mail ballot election would be the same as the one now used for permanent absentee voters. The voter receives a sample ballot, an information pamphlet, and a ballot with a return envelope. Local jurisdictions in California and in 16 other states have legislation that allow elections to be conducted by mail. Oregon has utilized local mail ballot elections for 15 years, Campos said. Burbank would be one of the first in Los Angeles County to use an all- mail election, Campos said. ``A lot of my fellow clerks are watching and waiting to see if this will be adopted,'' Campos said. ``We're all anxious to see what will happen with this,'' said Kristin Heffron, chief deputy for the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder's office. ``I don't think any jurisdictions in Los Angeles County are doing all mail-in elections. We are not considering it.'' Campos said there are many advantages to the system, most specifically as a time saver. Finding polling places that can accommodate disabled voters takes time, Campos said, and few are willing to rent out garages and homes for $25 a day. Also, staffing the polls has proved difficult during the last few elections. Volunteers earn $55 - a small incentive - to man a poll for 14 hours. Some voters may be turned off by the prospect of sending ballots with their signatures through the mail. For those people, the City Clerk's Office would accept drop-in ballots, Campos said. ``In some ways, the people of Burbank are very traditional in that they like going to the polls,'' Campos said. ``But in one point in time, paying cash for bills was also a tradition. I think this change is a sign of the times A Sign of the Times was a 1966 single by Petula Clark. Written by Tony Hatch, the uptempo pop number juxtaposed Clark's driving vocals with a powerful brass section. She introduced the tune on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 27, 1966. . For most people, this will save time.'' IF YOU GO Burbank City Council meets at 6:30 tonight at City Hall, 275 E. Olive Ave., Burbank. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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