Oct 7, 2008 12:03 am US/Pacific
Bay Area Residents Begin Early Election Voting
SAN JOSE (CBS 5 / KCBS) ―
Barack Obama and John McCain are still fighting it out in some battleground states, but the battle for some California votes is over with nearly a month to go to Election Day.
Early voting for the November 4th election started Monday across the state of California.
At the Registrar's Office for Santa Clara County there was a light but steady stream of first-day voters. Some said they voted for convenience, others said they wanted to be sure they got their vote in without the potential hassles and big crowds of election day.
"I think it's important to get the early vote out," said Brandon Jones, who cast his vote Monday. "I am setting an example for my students that I teach. I teach government at Piedmond Hills High School and I'm setting an example to get the early vote out."
Early voting is an increasingly popular choice in the state. In Santa Clara County, well over half of the ballots are expected to be cast in early voting.
Officials said that this election is likely to draw big crowds, with more than 80 percent of registered voters expected to cast votes.
"Usually the first day of early voting there's a pretty big turnout for any election. But for this election, I think we're going to be very busy running around city hall," said San Francisco Elections Director John Arnst.
Arnst said the ballot is long in San Francisco, with 12 state propositions and 22 local measures. Many are complicated, and some are confusing. And then there are the 70 candidates running for board of supervisor, school board, and community college district seats. Add to that the presidential race, congressional seats and the state legislature.
Arnst said that it's smart to arrive at city hall with plenty of time to vote.
Voters who cast their ballots early should be sure of their choice because there is no way to go back and make a change.
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