Potrero recall date set:
Voters must vote by mail or at registrar

By Miriam Raftery
The Alpine Sun

     POTRERO — The County Registrar of Voters has announced Dec. 11 as the date for a recall election against all members of the Potrero Planning Group, with the exception of Jan Hedlun.
     The unprecedented effort to oust an entire planning board was prompted by support for a proposal made by Blackwater USA to build a private military-style training base on land adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest and Hauser Wilderness area in Potrero. Only Hedlun opposes the highly controversial Blackwater project.
     On Election Day, however, voters will not be casting ballots at local precincts in Potrero. Instead, the election “will be conducted by mail ballot,” according to a letter sent to the planning group chair and recall organizers by Cathy Glaser in the campaign services department at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.
     Ballots will be mailed out Nov. 13 and must be received at the Registar’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, Dec. 11.
     “A postmark is NOT acceptable,” Glaser advised.
     In light of the recent decertification of Diebold voting machines and tabulators used in San Diego County, The Alpine Sun sent an e-mail to Glaser inquiring how Potrero residents’ votes will be counted.
     “These will be paper ballots and counted by hand at the Registrar’s office,” Glaser responded by e-mail. “For a small election, this is the most practical solution. The Absentee Voting Section will be responsible for counting the ballots,” she said, adding, “The public is welcome to watch the ballots be counted. Call a little closer to Dec. 11 and we will have the details worked out.”
     Election integrity experts give mixed reviews on mail-in voting. While some view it as an improvement over unreliable and hackable electronic voting machines, others voice concerns over potential for vote manipulation, fraud, or loss of votes due to mail delivery problems.
     For those reasons, some election experts prefer voting at precincts with hand-counting at the polls before witnesses, followed by verification of votes by the Registrar’s office.
     “I would prefer that people vote in person but that’s difficult to do for any of us who work and/or have to travel into town,” said planning group member Jan Hedlun in an e-mail response.
     “Voting by mail has occurred before (i.e., absentee ballots) and maybe all of the registered voters in Potrero will be more inclined to vote, but it still seems a dubious method. How are we to know if all the ballots are going to be accounted for? Where will the accountability come from? Beyond a deep feeling of unease I have no solution without conferring with others on the topic,” she wrote.
     Glaser provided reassurance to voters who do not wish to mail in their ballots. “If a voter doesn’t want to return the ballot by mail, they can come in person to our counter and vote any time after Nov. 12,” she said.
     The Registrar’s office is located at 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite I, in San Diego.
     The Registrar’s office will also mail a packet to each planning group member that will include a letter explaining procedures for officers facing recall to submit a statement of qualifications. The packet will also include a Candidate Filing Guide with schedules and campaign spending information.
     “I do not have a problem with a mail ballot,” said one the the recalled members Gordon Hammers in an e-mail response. “Under the circumstances, it is the most practical way to do it. It will give the advantage to the proponents of the recall, but I am a strong supporter of the American system and will accept the will of the people.”
     In addition to deciding whether to recall planning group members, voters will also be asked to vote on candidates running to replace any recalled planners. Candidates may file to run for the offices beginning Monday, Aug. 27.
     The candidate filing period ends on Thursday, Sept. 27. Candidates must appear personally to pick up nomination papers or give written permission to another person to obtain them using an authorization form available from the Registrar, or reasonable facsimile.
     For additional information on the election or candidate filing procedures, call the Registrar of Voters office at (858) 565-5800.

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