Avalon election 2018

Why does it take so long to know who won?

With results of the city elections hanging in the balance, some residents were wondering why does it take so long to get final results?

According to Devin Thompson, senior administrative assistant to Acting City Manager Denise Radde, the 113 ballots in question are “provisional ballots” that must be verified and certified by the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office. Thompson said as of Thursday, 969 votes have been counted and the 113 provisional ballots are being worked by on L.A. County. A “provisional ballot” can be created in a number of ways, she said, because “everyone who comes in to vote is allowed to vote,” even though they may not be on the current voter register.

The provisional ballots result when a voter which had been sent a ballot in the mail comes in to vote at City Hall or a voter shows up to vote who is not on the voter registry.

Their votes are allowed yet considered “provisional” in that their qualifications to vote needs to be verified and those who received the vote by mail will have to be checked to ensure that “they did not vote twice.”

Thompson said city officials are collaborating with Los Angeles County registrar officials and that they are hoping to have a final tally by Friday or early next week.

 

With provisional ballots, turnout mirrors 2014

Although the number of registered voters grew since the last election, the number of voters who turned out to vote in 2018 almost exactly mirrored the turnout four years ago, according to city officials.

In 2014, the city of Avalon had 1,762 registered voters, of which 1,019 actually turned out to vote, which means 58 percent of voters registered made the effort to vote. By 2018, number of registered voters in the city of Avalon grew to 1,832 voters, and 969 voters have already been counted, 52 percent voting. When the 113 “provisional” ballots are included, this brings the total to 1,082 voters, or 57.3 percent of eligible voters.

The exact totals won’t be known until the validity of the provisional voters have been certified by the Los Angeles County Registrar/Clerk’s office.

 

Avalon to turn over elections to L. A. County

Irregardless of the outcome, the 2018 Catalina Island elections are historic in that this is the last election to be totally administered by the City of Avalon.

According to city officials, a new state law mandates that all future elections be administered by the County of Los Angeles election officials.

Currently, the city administers the elections using a consulting firm to ensure election fairness and compliance with all existing laws.

Tell the Catalina Islander what you think of Avalon Election 2018. Email your letters to editor@thecatalinaislander.com.