LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After months of federal, state and local campaigns, it’s time to wrap up the 2012 election.
Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 21 polling places around Lake County.
In addition to the focal point presidential race between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, there are 154 legislative and congressional seats up for election across California on Tuesday, with 320 certified federal and state candidates on the ballot, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is running for reelection against Republican Elizabeth Emken. Democratic Congressman John Garamendi and Republican challenger Kim Vann, a Colusa County supervisor, are battling for the new Third District Congressional seat, which would represent the northern half of Lake County.
Congressman Mike Thompson is seeking reelection in the new Fifth District – which covers the rest of Lake County – against Republican Randy Loftin.
For California Assembly, the race for the redrawn Fourth Assembly District is between Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) and John Munn, also of Davis, a Republican and retired scientist.
Here at home, there are a number of local and statewide measures to consider.
On this fall’s ballot, three seats are open on each of the city councils for Lakeport and Clearlake. There also are a number of school board trustees appearing on local ballots.
The spotlight race for Lake County this fall is the race for the Lake County Superior Court Department 1 bench. Lakeport attorneys Judy Conard and Michael Lunas are each hoping to become the county’s next judge, succeeding retiring Judge David Herrick.
Local measures include Measure E, a half-cent sales tax that would be dedicated to projects to improve Clear Lake; Measure F, which does not impose new taxes, but which would allow South Lake County Fire Protection District to increase its limits on spending; and Measure G, a one-cent sales tax limited to the city of Clearlake, where it would be used for roads and code enforcement.
Both Measure E and Measure G must pass by super majorities of 66 percent or more in order that the funds may be dedicated to the specific proposed uses.
On the statewide level, there are 10 initiatives and a referendum on the ballot, with all of the initiatives requiring a simple majority to win, unless the measure’s language specifies otherwise, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
Perhaps the most hotly contested of the propositions is Proposition 37, which would require genetically engineered food to be labeled, and Proposition 30 and Proposition 38, which are vying with each other as alternatives to addressing California’s school funding needs. Proposition 34 proposes to abolish California’s death penalty, and Proposition 36 would revise the state’s “Three Strikes” law to only impose life sentences when the new felony is violent or serious.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported last week that a record number of Californians – 18,245,970, or 76.7 percent of those who are eligible – are registered to vote.
Lake County has 34,938 residents registered to vote this year, slightly under its 2008 presidential election registration total.
In Lake County, 53 percent of the individuals registered to vote for Tuesday – or 18,647 – are registered to vote by mail.
Absentee ballot can be dropped off throughout the day at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, located on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-2372.
All vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the county elections official by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
If absentee voters wish to vote at a polling place, they can take their unused ballot to a precinct and turn it over to a poll worker to receive a new one. For those without their ballots, a provisional ballot will be provided.
For those voters who did not receive a ballot by mail, they can go to any polling place or the county elections office and cast a provisional ballot.
For the 16,068 Lake County voters who plan to cast their ballots at a precinct, Lake County News has mapped the precincts based on the Registrar of Voters’ final precinct list, obtained this week. It can be seen above.
Once the voting is done, county election officials such as Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley will have 28 days to complete vote tallying and auditing in order to certify the final results for the California Secretary of State.
The California Secretary of State’s Office offers a toll-free voter hotline, 800-345-VOTE (8683) for those with questions on Election Day.
The service can give a voter the address of their polling place and other election-related information. Voters may also confidentially report voter intimidation or potential election fraud by calling the line.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.