> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Election mistakes derided by critics - URL: https://www.smdp.com/election-mistakes-derided-by-critics/ - Published: 2003-03-07T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T01:45:08.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *‘Homeowner’s Initiative’ ballots due back by March 21* Two weeks into Santa Monica’s first-ever election by mail, residents Thursday expressed concern over flaws in the distribution of the ballot. Representatives from both sides of Proposition A — the issue being voted on by mail — said several voters had not received the ballot at all. In addition, many of those who did receive it mistook it for junk mail. The special election was called for by the Homeowners’ Freedom of Choice Initiative, which proposes making historic preservation voluntary for owners of single-family homes. Under the current law, such designations may be made over the owner’s objections. Ballots were mailed out Feb. 20 and voters have until 9 p.m. on Friday, March 21 to get their ballots to the city clerk’s office. Victor Fresco of Save Our Neighborhoods, a group fighting the measure, said because this is a single-issue ballot, many Santa Monicans don’t even realize an election is going on. Those that do know about it may not see the ballot when it lands in their mailbox, Fresco said, because it comes in a white envelope with dull red writing that could easily be tossed aside with the mail’s ubiquitous advertisements. “The problem is we’ve become immune to those types of envelopes,” Fresco said. “I wish it were in a bright orange envelope that screamed ‘ballot’ at me.” Greg Poirier, one of the initiative’s sponsors and a homeowner who lives in the neighborhood north of Montana Avenue, said he and his wife never received the ballot. Poirier went to City Hall and voted in person and requested a duplicate ballot for his wife. The duplicate arrived days later in a hand-addressed envelope, but the original ballots still haven’t turned up — a common complaint, Poirier said. “Probably one out of three or one out of four of the people I’ve talked to had no knowledge of receiving a ballot,” he said. “It doesn’t strike me as the best organized thing.” City Clerk Maria Stewart acknowledged that there have been some slip-ups in the city’s first all-mail election, but said there were no more than the amount associated with absentee ballots in a standard election. Stewart, who said one resident was mailed three ballots while others have complained of receiving none, said the city generally is doing a good job coordi-nating the election. “This is something that comes up with all elections,” she said, adding that residents can contact the city for a duplicate ballot or visit City Hall to vote. “It’s not like there are 500 extra ballots floating around out there.” > “This is something that comes up with all elections. It’s not like there are 500 extra ballots floating around out there.” — – MARIA STEWART City clerk So far, roughly 11,000 ballots have been sent in by the city’s 55,000 registered voters. And with almost two weeks left in the election, turnout is expected to be high for a single-issue election. While single-issue elections typically attract fewer voters than regular elections, those held by mail tend to have a higher participation rate, according to Robert Stern, from the Center for Governmental Studies. Stern said elections held by mail are also usually cheaper, though city officials said the roughly $110,000 that will be spent on the Proposition A election is comparable to the cost of running a traditional election. The only notable downside to holding elections by mail is coordinating the timing of advertisements and other campaign efforts, Stern said. “(Mail-only elections) allow campaigns to really target people,” she said. “The problem is we have too many elections going on at too many times on too many issues.” Because the election lasts 30 days, groups opposing the measure had more time to motivate voters who may not have cast their ballot in a traditional election, Poirier said. He called the mail-only election a “waste of everybody’s time and energy” and said the city re-wrote the election code specifically to allow for a special election in order to “stack the results” against homeowners. “I think they did it as a deliberate tactic to defeat the measure,” Poirier said. “I would be very surprised if we ever see another (mail-only election).” Ultimately, Poirier said more renters are likely to end up voting because of the nature of the election. But Poirier said the measure affects homeowners, not renters. Bea Nemlaha, spokesperson for Save Our Neighborhoods, disagreed. “It’s a community issue,” she said. “Don’t presume that renters don’t care about our community. They do.” Nemlaha said by holding the election by mail, the city was able to include people who otherwise might not have come out for a single-issue election — even if they had strong feelings on the proposition. “This election was sprung on the voters at a very unfortunate time,” Nemlaha said, noting that many residents are focused on the education crisis and the possibility of a war with Iraq. “Their attention is being devoted to a lot of other things right now —things that are not on the ballot.” Fresco, who lauded the city’s decision to hold the election by mail, questioned the motives of the initiative’s supporters. “Perhaps (Proposition A supporters) forced a special election in the first place to suppress turnout,” Fresco said. “I don’t see why anybody would be against something that allows for greater democratic participation.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 7, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/030703.pdf?ref=smdp.com)