Top Story: Election Day
"Life and Times," KCET (Transcript)
October 7, 2003
Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --
The end of the recall is just minutes away. No matter what the
outcome, it will have a lasting effect on California politics.
Anna>> Well, I was just praying to God that I would make the
right decision. It's difficult. It's confusing especially if
you never voted before.
>> I'm just sick and tired of it. I'm so glad that it's over.
Val>> And then, these candidates may only get one shot, but
they're making the most of it. We talked with the man who
photographed them for the Los Angeles times.
These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times.
Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.
Val>> Hello, I'm Val Zavala. Today was the culmination of a
strange and historic battle for the California governor's seat,
but after all the petitions, lawsuits, court rulings, campaign
ads, accusations, apologies, pundits and polls, California
voters are getting the last word. This is clearly one for the
history books and Philip Bruce went to the polls to see how the
system and voters are handling a ballot with more than 130 names
and one key question.
Philip Bruce>> There was never much doubt that voter turnout
would be heavy, but in many areas, it was even bigger than
expected. This polling place in Glendale began the day with a
line out the door and rarely saw a slowdown. Several of the
voters here were first-timers and needed some help wading
through a ballot that was anything but simple.
>> Well, it was very difficult for me, very confusing. The
first time that I vote, so they had to teach me everything.
Philip Bruce>> What was difficult about it for you?
>> Well, because all those numbers and I didn't know how to do
it.
Philip Bruce>> But they showed you and it all worked out?
>> Yes, yes, this first time.
Philip Bruce>> So as a first-time voter, what do you think of
all the talk in the governor's race, the scandals, the mean talk
on both sides? How did that affect you?
>> Well, I don't like politicians, so I voted for one who is
not a politician. I hate politics (laughter).
Philip Bruce>> The poll workers had their hands full trying to
keep the process moving smoothly. For one thing, the number of
polling places was greatly compressed, down from 4,000 locations
in Los Angeles County to only 1,800. That's one of the reasons
for the long lines. Loyola Marymount University sent fifty
political science students out into the field today to see how
things were going. Erin and Michelle hit the streets with a
list of questions for precinct workers at about three dozen
polling places.
Erin>> Some of the things we're looking for is like the
demographics of the people that work here, male-female, their
ethnicity, how approachable they are and how well they deal with
us, whether or not they question why we're there and what we're
doing there.
Philip Bruce>> One of their stops was this polling place in
Echo Park. The questions were fairly routine, but listen
carefully. You're about to hear a young poll worker make a big
mistake.
Erin>> What form of ID do I need to vote when I check in?
>> You have -- you know what we sent you at home, the sample,
and your ID with your name.
Erin>> Okay. So some ID.
Philip Bruce>> It was a question about voters providing an ID.
The poll worker said they needed to show one, but the law says
no. Voters cannot be asked for an ID. It's the kind of error
the students were on the lookout for.
Erin>> So we asked that question. It's kind of a trick
question. We try to see if they actually require something.
This actual polling place did say that they require some form of
identification and that was something that's going to be
reflected in our study that goes to the state legislature.
Philip Bruce>> That was incorrect?
Erin>> That is incorrect. There should be no form of
identification needed.
Philip Bruce>> It's all grist for Professor Fernando Guerra's
mill. He heads the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at
Loyola Marymount University and he says the mistake by that
young Echo Park poll worker was only one of many that we'll see
today.
Fernando Guerra>> It's not a perfect system. I mean, many of
us have voters lack information. Sometimes many of the poll
workers, you know, official electoral officers, lack
information. You know, you do not need an Id to vote in
California. There is no law that says you must show proof of
residency.
Now you do have to be registered. Your name has to be on there.
If it's not on there, you still have the right to vote on a
provisional ballot. So our process should be one of inclusive.
We should welcome anybody and then, if in fact, they aren't
registered voters, we have a process by which we can take care
of that vote and throw it out.
Philip Bruce>> How the final vote will turn out is still
anyone's guess, but Professor Guerra's group has done an
extensive survey of California's absentee or early voters and
the news isn't good for Gray Davis.
Fernando Guerra>> Well, we've taken a survey of those who have
requested absentee ballots and we're seeing that fifty-two
percent are in favor of the recall, forty-one percent are
against the recall and seven percent refused to answer. Then
amongst the second question in terms of the candidates, thirty-
five percent are for Schwarzenegger, twenty-five percent for
Bustamante and only ten percent for McClintock.
Obviously, interestingly enough, close to two-thirds of the
Republicans are voting for Schwarzenegger and, for Bustamante,
he's got a little bit less than fifty percent of Democrats
voting him. So that's where he's really lost the election, that
the Democrats aren't supporting the "Democratic candidate".
Philip Bruce>> Guerra's survey only reinforces the notion that
the crowded recall field has essentially become a two-man race
between Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today as the two
men cast their ballots, they acknowledge the result is out of
their hands.
Arnold Schwarzenegger>> Although we don't know. It is up to
the Gods now. It's up to God now for the decision. We did all
the work and we worked hard and campaigned hard to try to get
the message out there.
Gray Davis>> Since there are more Democrats in this state, a
higher turnout obviously will be helpful to me and I would ask
everyone to make the extra effort to find your polling place.
Go out and participate in this democracy.
Philip Bruce>> Did these last days of scandal and bitterness
between Davis and Schwarzenegger affect the voters? Possibly,
but it's too early to say exactly how. But it's clearly
apparent that this unique election ultimately turned out to be
just like so many others in California.
>> Oh, gosh, I'm just sick and tired of it. I'll be so glad
that it gets over and, if the state of California votes Arnold
Schwarzenegger to be governor, then they deserve everything they
get.
Philip Bruce>> Regardless of who wins, it's an election that
Anna will always remember and not for the screaming headlines.
It's her first time to vote.
Anna>> Well, I was just praying to God that I would make the
right decision. It's difficult. It's confusing especially if
you've never voted before. You feel like you're making an
informed decision and I definitely wouldn't want to be a
politician knowing that there are uninformed voters (laughter)
in really determining the history and the outcome of this
election.
Philip Bruce>> It will be a day for California's history books,
but have we really learned anything having gone through the
recall? Professor Fernando Guerra says yes, but the lessons
aren't the ones we expected.
Fernando Guerra>> We had always thought that the electoral
process would be more inclusive and we had many candidates. We
started out with 135, but at the end, we only focused on two,
Bustamante and Schwarzenegger.
We thought that if we had a short election, we'd get a lot more
substance, we'd get a much greater debate. In fact, many of us
don't believe that that has been the case. We also felt that,
if we had a short election, a lot less money would be spent.
That hasn't been the case. So all these ideas that we had about
a short open type of an election with no primaries, none of that
has come to pass.
Philip Bruce>> But have the parties been as much of a factor in
this as they might have been in a conventional election since
you didn't have a primary?
Fernando Guerra>> I think the parties have played a role. I
mean, clearly you see that the Republican party coalesced around
Schwarzenegger and clearly the Democratic party, not to same
extent, coalesced more around Davis than around Bustamante.
Bustamante is going to lose because the Democrats did not rally
behind him, neither in terms of organization, money and
certainly not the vote.
Philip Bruce>> And the lessons of the recall aren't over yet,
not until the final vote is counted and, depending on who wins,
maybe not even then.
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Philip Bruce>> The outcome is still uncertain, but one thing we
do know for sure is that today's election will go down in
history as one of the strangest ever to take place in
California. And because there's never been anything like it,
even political scholars are at a loss to say what impact the
last-minute scandals and the bombardment of political
commercials will have on the voting public.
We talked to Professor Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna College
to get his read on the recall. Professor Pitney, this is an
election clearly unlike anything we've ever seen before in
California. What do you make of these last-minute allegations
and their impact on the turnout today?
Jack Pitney>> They're probably not going to affect the turnout.
People had already made their decision to show up at the polls,
that they were interested in the whole recall process. The big
question is the direction of the vote. Will the allegations
turn voters against the recall? Will they turn voters against
Arnold Schwarzenegger in the replacement election? We'll find
out shortly.
Philip Bruce>> Now the large number of absentee votes are also
a factor here. Before these allegations started getting hot and
heavy, we had several hundred thousand, if not a couple million,
absentees already turned in. What impact could that have?
Jack Pitney>> Well, up to twenty percent of the votes may have
been cast before the allegations hit. That could end up being
crucial. If Schwarzenegger should win by a point or two and if
the absentees heavily favor him, that means he was saved by the
ballots that were cast before the news struck.
Philip Bruce>> A lot of unusual things about this, beyond the
dynamics between Davis and Schwarzenegger, the fact today that
we're having a fraction of the number of polling places we
typically have in a big election. Is that apt to create some
problems today? Are you expecting to see some of that across
the state?
Jack Pitney>> I think one certainty is that there are going to
be problems with the voting process today. With 135 candidates
on the replacement ballot, some voters are going to be confused.
That means they're going to take their time voting, which means
the lines are going to be long. Put that together with
consolidated voting places and you have a recipe for some pretty
major disruptions in some places.
Philip Bruce>> And we've already had the legal challenge of the
punch card ballots which has been resolved, but are you looking
down the road at perhaps more legal challenges after this
election is over, especially if it's close?
Jack Pitney>> If the election is close, you can almost
guarantee that there are going to be legal challenges. In Los
Angeles County, we use a punch card system. The punch card
system is confusing and it also lends itself to the hanging chad
or pregnant chad problem. If the election is close, you're
going to have a lot of ballots that are challenged in court.
This could drag on for a long time.
Philip Bruce>> And when you look at just the difficulties in
general of putting together a quick election and you combine the
fact that we have so fewer polling places now, what is that apt
to create in terms of just people trying to find out where
they're supposed to be and how they're supposed to cast their
vote? Is that going to create a situation that also would lend
itself to a legal challenge later on?
Jack Pitney>> Oh, certainly. Even before the election, critics
challenged the consolidation of the voting places and, after the
election, I wouldn't be surprised if that were part of the basis
for a challenge to the results. You put together the confusion
of the voting places, the confusion of the ballot itself, and
you have a witch's brew that could lead to a lot of litigation.
Philip Bruce>> Let's look at the dynamics between Davis and
Schwarzenegger. Now we all expected that there was going to be
a scandal for Arnold Schwarzenegger that might come in the last
few days, but what do you make of the way this one has developed
and the way he's responded to it?
Jack Pitney>> Well, it's not surprising that there were
allegations of womanizing, allegations of groping. Those things
have been in the press before. So when it broke, a lot of
people expected it. But the continual stream of allegations,
accuser after accuser, that had to be damaging to Schwarzenegger
and maybe one reason why the polls tightened toward the end.
Philip Bruce>> And Davis? The way he's dealing with this? He
initially was a little reluctant to latch onto this, but more
recently he's talking about maybe a need for a criminal
investigation against Arnold Schwarzenegger. Is that just talk
or is there something to that?
Jack Pitney>> Well, initially, we had Davis above the fray, but
the old Gray Davis trumped the new Gray Davis. The slasher Gray
Davis couldn't help himself to come out at the last minute.
Talk of criminal investigation is probably exaggerated, but if
Schwarzenegger should win, the possibility of a civil case is
very real and could be a real problem for Schwarzenegger if he
becomes governor.
Philip Bruce>> Let's look down the road and assume that the
recall is successful and that Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected.
What then? How long before we see a new governor? How does the
process work?
Jack Pitney>> The key element is the certification of the vote
by the Secretary of State. Some estimates are that it could
take as long as thirty-nine days. Maybe shorter, but if it's a
reasonably election, it could take several weeks.
Philip Bruce>> So we could be looking into well into November
and beyond?
Jack Pitney>> That's right. Whatever happens, Gray Davis is
going to be governor for some time to come, which means there
are still some bills on his desk, many decisions he can make,
and that has to be taken into account by his successor if there
is one.
Philip Bruce>> And let's also look down even further after
Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, would be installed
as governor. What is he going to face with a Democratic
legislature and all of this scandal baggage trailing behind him?
Jack Pitney>> He is going to face one short honeymoon indeed.
Feelings are running high on both sides. There's a lot of anger
and a lot of bitterness. His first job as governor is to try
and quell that bitterness, if he in fact should become governor.
After that, he has an even bigger task of addressing the state
budget deficit. Already the state is $8 billion dollars in the
hole. That figure will probably grow and that will be toughest
challenge for whoever is governor in 2004.
Philip Bruce>> If Gray Davis manages to defy this, what does he
face in terms of trying to deal with what's left of an embattled
administration?
Jack Pitney>> If Gray Davis survives, he's going to face
Republicans who are very angry who will argue that he won on the
basis of dirty tricks. They didn't like Gray Davis before and,
if he wins, they're going to like him even less then. Put that
together with an $8 billion dollar budget deficit, growing
fiscal problems, and 2004 would be a very difficult year for
Gray Davis. So if he wins, his celebration would be very brief.
Philip Bruce>> Do you think we'll know something by the end of
tonight who the winner is or is this going to be a long one?
Jack Pitney>> Everything depends on the margin. If it's a
substantial victory for either side, we should know by the end
of the night. But if it's fairly close, we might not know
tomorrow, we might not know for days.
Philip Bruce>> Professor Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna
College, I appreciate your being with us on Life and Times.
Jack Pitney>> Thank you.
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Val>> With more than 135 candidates running for governor, it's
virtually impossible to know who they all are or what they stand
for, so the Los Angeles Times decided to let some pictures do
the talking and it's amazing what you can tell about a person
from their photograph especially when they're willing to reveal
a little bit about themselves.
[Film Clip]
Val>> Brian Vander Brug, thank you very much for meeting us.
Brian Vander Brug>> Thank you.
Val>> You have had quite a job over the past few weeks. You've
been the only person to do all this, right? There are no other
photographers doing this?
Brian Vander Brug>> No, I'm the only photographer working on
this project for the Los Angeles Times, so they're all my
photos.
Val>> What has the experience been like overall? How have they
impressed you? What's the impression you have of them?
Brian Vander Brug>> They're a great bunch of people. I mean,
most of them are serious. You know, even though they're not
delusional, they don't think they're going to win, but still
they have a message to get out and they want to tell people
about it.
Val>> Not delusional. That's a good criteria for governor
right away. I think some people who are in office are
delusional (laughter). So tell us, what do you say to them?
How do you get them to do all this kind of wacky stuff or do
they do it themselves?
Brian Vander Brug>> You know, when we first contacted them, we
had the idea that we would have them bring some props, something
that would lend to their personality, their interests, their
hobbies, maybe their business or their campaign.
[Film Clip]
Brian Vander Brug>> They picked what they wanted to bring and
we scheduled them here in Los Angeles, in San Francisco, in
Sacramento and several places around the state. They came and
they brought them and --
Val>> -- so they chose what they brought. They got to reveal
of themselves what they wanted?
Brian Vander Brug>> Yeah, and I think, if you look at some of
the pictures, you'll find out a little bit about everyone.
[Film Clip]
Val>> This fellow looks like his partner is a dancer. Now
who's running for governor? The guy in front, right?
Brian Vander Brug>> Yeah, he is. He's Mark Valdez. He lives
in Sacramento and he's an amateur dancer and he brought a friend
to use as his prop.
Val>> Now this fellow would get the dog's vote for sure.
Brian Vander Brug>> Yeah, he had a couple of dogs he brought
with him. They were so big that he couldn't hold them both.
Val>> Did a lot of people bring their pets?
Brian Vander Brug>> Yeah, we had a few people who brought pets.
People have brought babies.
Val>> Babies are big. Look at this. The father vote.
Brian Vander Brug>> The American flag is a big thing. We've
had several people bring flags.
Val>> American flag, of course.
Brian Vander Brug>> Dress in a flag. We had a guy who was
wearing a red, white and blue Uncle Sam suit with the stars and
stripes and a top hat and tails.
Val>> Oh, yes, I saw that one. Then this fellow, obviously, is
into budget cutting.
Brian Vander Brug>> Right there. He brought the big red
scissors and he's ready to do it.
Val>> Now this guy is apparently not really interesting in
being governor. He just wants to, I understand, promote his
movie?
Brian Vander Brug>> It's blatant self-promotion. He has no
illusions about anything. He introduced himself as
artfthemovie.netbrown and I'm running for governor to promote my
movie. He's not hiding anything.
Val>> Not hiding anything. At least he's out there. Full
disclosure. What's this teddy bear about?
Brian Vander Brug>> He brought that. He dressed it up as like
the California bear. You know, on our state flag. That was a
prop he wanted to bring.
[Film Clip]
Brian Vander Brug>> You know, we had Mary Carey, the adult film
star, come and, you know, we're a family newspaper and we didn't
want anything too risqué. It's just a nice innocent picture.
She looks like the girl next door, the naked girl next door,
but, you know.
Val>> (Laughter) You have to use your imagination. Now this
person made no bones about what he thinks of politics.
Brian Vander Brug>> You know, we've had a little bit of a hard
time with scheduling some people because they are serious, they
do have serious issues and they don't want to be perceived as
part of a circus. We're trying not to do that, but Mr.
Columbine there wanted to be the ringleader. He doesn't want to
be governor and he's dressing up as a clown as his statement
against the recall.
Val>> It's been called a circus and he said why not go all the
way, right. Now who was one of the oldest ones? This fellow is
elderly. Who's the youngest and who's the oldest?
Brian Vander Brug>> Well, we had a write-in candidate, Mathilda
Spak, who ran the first day. She's 101 years old. She's a
write-in candidate.
[Film Clip]
Val>> So what's your favorite photograph or one of your
favorites? Does anyone just sort of pop out at you and say, oh,
this was great or fun or you loved the way it turned out.
Brian Vander Brug>> Maybe Angelyne. She's a local billboard
model. She doesn't want a whole lot of images out there of her
and she told me you only get --
Val>> -- she doesn't want a whole lot of images out there?
Brian Vander Brug>> She thinks that we're going to use them
other places, so when we called her, she said you're going to
get one chance. I'm only going to let you take one picture.
Val>> Really? Literally just one?
Brian Vander Brug>> One snap. She was serious. I set
everything up, she sat down, took about a half hour to kind of
position herself and we made a snap, took it out of the camera,
pulled it up and that was it.
Val>> Wow. So do you think that this will actually like get
anybody to vote for these people?
Brian Vander Brug>> Yeah. You know, of all the things I've
done, I've gotten so much response from this. Strangers have
called. I've gotten emails from people saying how much they
enjoyed it. Someone actually said, you know, it was great to
see these faces and find out a little bit about what they're
about and I think I've changed my vote.
Val>> No kidding. Well, good for you. It's made more of an
impact than perhaps you first thought.
Brian Vander Brug>> I think so.
Val>> Brian, thank you so much for giving us a perspective on
the election that we would never have gotten otherwise.
Brian Vander Brug>> Thanks for coming out.
Val>> The major candidates were also offered a chance to get
their picture taken, but most of them declined. That's our
program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times,
thanks for watching.
Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.
Val>> Tomorrow on Life and Times, from the last hurrah for the
punch card to the unknown factor of absentee ballots. Now that
the votes are in, we'll go behind the scenes at the County
Registrar's office as the serious work of counting the votes
begins.
That's tomorrow on Life and Times.