(Orange) County braces for costly round of polls

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Wednesday, August 17, 2005

County braces for costly round of polls

Balloting for special election and to fill Cox's seat could cost $10 million.

By NORBERTO SANTANA Jr.
The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA – Orange County officials may have to spend as much as $10 million over the next seven months as they administer a series of ballots stemming from the governor's special election and the vacancy left by Congressman Chris Cox. And without state action to authorize legislation approving repayment, the county's already-strained coffers will have to bear the brunt.

This week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a special primary election for October to fill the vacated seat of Republican Cox, who is moving on to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Voters also will be asked to cast ballots in - and county officials will be asked to finance - a November special election called by the governor to decide an array of proposals. Total cost? $4.9 million. But the election to fill the Cox seat has the potential to trigger a costly version of political musical chairs, creating an election season that starts in October and stretches well into the next year. Depending on who wins, there may be as many as five elections over the next seven months.

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Yet one logistical hurdle has already appeared. The Cox special election has been scheduled on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, a day on which most Jews do not conduct business or vote. With more than 100,000 Jewish voters in the district, the Irvine-based Jewish Federation of Orange County on Tuesday wrote the governor asking him to reschedule the election.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/08/17/sections/local/local/article_637667.php