POLLS ARE SLOW ON ELECTION DAY
By Silva Sevlian
Glendale News Press
April 8 2009
CA
Voters who do show up give a variety of reasons why they exercised
their civic duties.
GLENDALE — It was the most heated campaign season for Glendale in
recent memory, but for the most part, that fire didn’t transfer to
the polls Tuesday.
Overall, it was a slow election day with relatively low voter turnout,
precinct inspector Sunnye Chew said.
"We were definitely not busy this afternoon," said Chew, who oversaw
the polling location at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
on Central Avenue. She said people don’t check their sample ballots
and, as a result, don’t know the location of their polling place.
With three incumbents and 12 candidates running for City Council,
voters had a wide array of choices.
"There are too many candidates, and there are few that are qualified,"
said Rubik Davtian, a building supplier.
One voter said candidates’ individual efforts made him feel obligated
to vote.
"Three candidates have stopped by my house," said Robert Bush,
a Glendale business owner.
"I’m concerned about the historic preservation of the city and the
bad traffic, and that’s why I came out and voted," he said. "It’s
not up to us to vote for certain measures. It’s something the City
Council should take care of — and I’m here to elect them."
Resident Danny Accomando said he is sticking by those who have served
the council for years.
"The candidates are the same people I’ve been voting for a while,
and I want to see them stay in," he said.
While some took to the polls to vote for a specific candidate, David
Bryce, a retired Caltrans worker, said race played an integral role
in his decision.
"There are too many -ians" at the ends of candidates’ surnames,
Bryce said. "I want to find the Jones, Smiths and Browns of Glendale."
He wants to see fewer Armenians in Glendale public office, he said.
Tensions have been present in the political arena against Armenians
in Glendale during the past decade, said Eric Hacopian, a political
consultant who oversees campaigns around Southern California.
"There is a lot of resentment for Armenians and Armenians running
for office and for the political influence that Armenian voters and
the community has gained in the past 10 years," he said.
More than half of the candidates running for office this election
are of Armenian descent.
Zanku Armenian, a board member of the Armenian National Committee
Glendale chapter, said the bottom line is that all the candidates
are American.
"The founding principles and values of our country [are] that a
person’s race, national origin or sex should never matter," he said
in an e-mail to the News-Press. "What is important is an individual’s
qualifications and that they bring a constructive attitude and open
mind to the job. Elected leaders need to engage all the diverse
segments of our community on the important issues facing our city."
Verna Berghart, a member of Glendale’s Chamber of Commerce, recently
became a citizen after moving to Glendale from Canada. She spent
more than 40 years in the U.S. before getting her citizenship, and
she said exercising the right to vote is an important part of her life.
"I enjoy the voting process, and I like being involved in city
government," Berghart said. "It’s part of being a good citizen."
Many invested in the Glendale Unified School District came out and
voted for school board members.
"The school board is the most critical for me," said James Mahan,
a retired information technology manager. "Education is the most
important thing in the world, and the school board that we have is
doing a great job.
At least one election watcher reported poll issues. Alisa Kazazian,
daughter of City Council candidate Aram Kazazian, complained to the
city clerk that a road closure near the Scout Council Auditorium
on Grandview, which blocked traffic from one side of the street,
was a deterrent for voters. The city took down the roadblock later
in the morning.
"In this district, it is going to be difficult to get an accurate
count of the results because the road was closed long enough to deter
people who are already apathetic about voting," Alisa Kazazian said.
Polling places received low traffic throughout the day, with almost
half of the city’s usual votes coming in by mail with absentee ballots.
"I’m not surprised that it is a slow day," said Linda Sheffield,
a planner of Forest Lawn Cemetery. "People are tired of elections."