Frustrations over taxes, government waste and stalled downtown
growth brought some Morgan Hill residents out this morning to make
a difference at the voting booth. Six propositions intended to
address California’s growing budget deficit are on the statewide
special election ballot, which also includes a local measure that
supporters hope will facilitate downtown economic development.
Morgan Hill
Frustrations over taxes, government waste and stalled downtown growth brought some Morgan Hill residents out this morning to make a difference at the voting booth. Six propositions intended to address California’s growing budget deficit are on the statewide special election ballot, which also includes a local measure that supporters hope will facilitate downtown economic development.
At the Woodland Estates polling place on West Middle Avenue, Kent Goodwin, 62, said he voted “No” on all the propositions except 1F, which would prohibit elected state officials from giving themselves raises while running a deficit.
“I’m not going to do the job I feel the governor and the legislature should be doing,” Goodwin said.
Other state propositions on today’s ballot, if they pass, would extend temporary taxes levied by the state earlier this year, shift funds to education, spend against future lottery revenues, and shift tax dollars out of the state’s mental health services into the general fund.
David Linebaugh, 46, voted “No” on props 1A and 1B. “The state ought to figure out a way to (reduce the deficit) besides taxing the people,” Linebaugh said.
A 68-year-old voter named Jim said, “A couple of these things are a waste of time, energy and money just to have them on the ballot.” Exiting the polling place at Church of the Rock on East Dunne Avenue, he was particularly hopeful that proposition 1E, which would take about $230 million out of state mental health services, will fail as he believes those services are necessary.
Jim, who declined to provide his last name, voted “Yes” on Measure A, the only local initiative on the ballot, because it could address the need for affordable housing for people on a fixed income such as himself.
Measure A, which the city council resurrected after it failed as Measure H in November 2008, would amend city ordinances to ease the permitting process for up to 500 housing units in downtown Morgan Hill.
Rosemary Kamei, a Woodland Estates voter who sits on the board of directors for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, also voted “Yes” on the local measure because of the economic development opportunities it could open up.
“It’s a step in the right direction, and it will help the downtown,” Kamei said.
Some Measure A detractors were also out at the polling places, which were mostly quiet and vacant Tuesday morning. Linebaugh voted “No” on the measure because he feels it’s not the best way to spur development in Morgan Hill’s downtown.*”If you want to revitalize downtown, I don’t think building 500 houses is going to make a difference,” Linebaugh said, adding that a better option could be to provide incentives to “Ma and Pa shops” that are considering moving here.
Polling place volunteers at some of the city’s most populated precincts reported no lines, and no more than about 15 voters casting ballots in person before 10 a.m. Scores more dropped by just to turn in vote-by-mail ballots they filled out at home. Volunteer election clerks suggested the reason for the relatively low activity on election day, in the last few elections, is because more voters are requesting mail-in ballots weeks prior to the official polling date.
Still, some voters reliably prefer to vote in person election day. Such is the case at Woodland Estates, the headquarters of a precinct that contains a mobile home park that is largely inhabited by senior citizens.
“As an older person, what’s important is the whole ritual of going in to vote,” poll clerk Marilyn Bankert said.
Special elections typically draw lower interest than general elections.
Precinct inspector Dave Wright, who volunteered at the City Hall polling place today and in November, expected a slow day when the voting booth opened at 7 a.m.
“It’s going to be pretty quiet today. This is a lot different (from the November presidential election), because we don’t have to worry about big lines,” Wright said.
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters spokeswoman Elma Rosas said election officials expect about a 40 percent countywide turnout today. That’s vastly lower than November’s turnout of about 85 percent.
“The presidential election always generates a larger turnout,” Rosas said.
More than 789,000 voters are registered in Santa Clara County, about 18,000 of whom are in Morgan Hill.
Rosas added that because of the low anticipated participation, about 250 fewer polling places were open today than in November.
She added that, as of 1 p.m., no significant problems or long lines had been reported anywhere in the county.
The slow pace of voting allowed one polling place to double as a classroom. Jim McMahon, precinct inspector at the Live Oak High School polling location, said a morning civics class walked over from the classroom to the voting area in the cafeteria for the day’s lesson.
“One of the students cast their first ballot here,” McMahon said.
Down in Gilroy, things were very quiet.
Half a dozen polling booths neatly lined a wall of Richard Hoenck’s garage near Glen View Elementary School but not a single voter cast their vote in person during the lunch hour.
“We got a big rush earlier,” Hoenck said. “Two whole people at a time. We were told this was going to be a long, boring day.”
Hoenck voted absentee himself but about 30 voters dropped by his house that morning – far fewer than the 80 who cast their ballots in his garage on Dartmouth Place the morning of the presidential election.
Around the corner at Glen View Elementary School, Gilroy Fire Captain Art Amaro cast yes votes for each proposition except 1D and 1E, which he said were “deceptive.”
“I didn’t like the wording and I didn’t like that they’re taking money away from kids,” he said.
At lunchtime, only 23 voters had cast their ballot at the Glen View library – one of about two dozen polling spots in Gilroy. Other than several volunteers, Amaro was the sole occupant of the library. While most voters submitted an absentee ballot this election, Amaro said he comes out for every election to cast his vote at the polls.
He voted for propositions 1A, 1B, 1C and 1F because, “even though I don’t like to pay taxes just like everyone else, you vote yes for what you think is right and no for what you don’t. That’s what this country was built on.”
Staff Writer Sara Suddes contributed to this story.
