Among the many decisions UCLA students from across the state and
the country will have to make during the 2004 presidential election
is whether to re-register in Los Angeles or remain registered in
their home county and vote by absentee ballot.
An eligible voter can easily get an absentee ballot and use it
to vote in the elections, and many students have elected to do so.
But others believe it is beneficial for students to re-register
locally.
The reasons to vote by absentee ballot range from state politics
to convenience to personal identification with home.
California’s Democratic political leaning is a
consideration for some out-of-state students, said Michael Chwe, an
associate professor of political science at UCLA.
“If you are a college student from a swing state like Ohio
or Florida, your vote will “˜matter’ much more if you
vote absentee instead of voting in California because California
will almost certainly go for Kerry,” Chwe said.
Kristina Doan, president of the Bruin Democrats, has been
campaigning for the Kerry/Edwards ticket and is participating in a
voter-registration program.
She said she has noticed a similar tendency for out-of-state
students.
“We have noticed that many students from swing states have
decided to stay in their home state and vote absentee,” Doan
said.
A student’s personal political beliefs is another
consideration in the decision of whether to vote absentee or
re-register in Los Angeles, said Jeremy Evans, a fourth-year
political science student and member of Bruin Republicans.
“For an independent or a swing voter, they shouldn’t
vote absentee,” Evans said. “It’s a better idea
for them to wait until the last day to vote because it gives then
an opportunity to look at the candidates until the last
day.”
The ease with which a voter can apply for and mail in an
absentee ballot, without the same restrictions that polls have, is
another consideration.
“I think that most people who vote by absentee do so
because it is more convenient,” Chwe said.
Evans also said he thinks there are advantages to voting
absentee because it is less of a hassle.
“I think that absentee voting is good for people who have
made up their mind already,” Evans said. “It’s
easier by far.”
Marcia Ventura, a spokeswoman for the County of Los Angeles
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, also emphasized the ease with
which a voter can obtain an absentee ballot.
“We are in the frame of mind that we want to make it as
easy as possible for the voter to vote,” Ventura said.
Along with the sample booklet sent by mail to each voter, there
is an application for an absentee ballot that can be returned to
the elections office, she added.
An absentee ballot can also be obtained by fax and through the
Internet.
Ventura added that an absentee ballot will be treated exactly
the same as votes cast at the polls.
The recent advent of electronic polling places is one reason why
some people have chosen to vote absentee, Chwe said.
“Some people are voting absentee this time because of
concerns about whether new electronic voting machines will count
their votes accurately,” he said.
Chwe cited the possibility of hacking and the difficulty of a
recount as some problems that computer scientists have found with
electronic voting machines.
There are other, more personal reasons for students to remain
registered in their home county rather than in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Johnson, a second-year undeclared student who has
chosen to remain registered in Palo Alto for the 2004 presidential
election, said she chose to use an absentee ballot because she
still considers Palo Alto to be her home.
“At this point I’m still supported by my parents,
and home is Palo Alto,” said Johnson to explain why she had
decided not to re-register in Los Angeles.
But as students transition into life at UCLA, they break away
from home and become more involved in local issues.
“For this presidential election I’ll stay absentee,
but probably for the next year I’ll switch to L.A. because
L.A.’s going to have more of a local effect on me,”
Johnson said.
Doan said she believes it is beneficial for students to
re-register in Los Angeles for the same reason.
“We do encourage students to re-register here,” Doan
said. “We’re affected by local politics. In addition to
the presidential election, there are other important races in the
area.”
Each year, more absentee ballots are requested than are actually
turned in to the elections office, Ventura said. This may point to
the benefits of voting at the on-campus polls rather than using an
absentee ballot.
Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on the day of the
elections, Ventura said, which means that a voter will have to plan
ahead and mail the ballot in early to ensure it is counted, which
be difficult for some voters.
“A lot of students have said that the absentee process is
difficult,” Doan said, pointing to problems with mail getting
lost or delayed as a main concern.
“It’s easier (to re-register) because with an
absentee ballot you have to mail it in earlier,” Johnson
said.