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Local Dems help get out the vote
With the number of registered Democratic voters rising in Ventura County- there are only 473 more registered Republicans than Democrats as of Jan. 22- the Simi Valley-Moorpark Democratic Club was enthusiastic about sponsoring a poll at the Best Western Posada Royale Hotel during Super Tuesday's presidential primary election. The club is slowly finding its way out of the periphery and into the mainstream. Donne Knudsen personifies the club's progress. "After moving here 12 years ago from the (San Fernando) Valley, I felt I moved to 'Reagansville.' I was a closet Democrat," said Knudsen, who volunteered as a poll worker for the first time on Tuesday. "I felt isolated. But in the last few years, the Democratic community has made a lot of growth, and there's a lot more of us now." About 700 voters cast ballots in the two precincts at the Posada Royale, and the Democratic Club plans to sponsor polls during June and November elections. Club president Jodell Haws spent 15 ½ hours as a poll inspector on Tuesday. Haws said the entire experience- from working all day at the polls to watching results get updated minute-by-minute on TV when she returned home at 11 p.m.- was exciting. "I'm a huge Hillary (Clinton) supporter, so I'm thrilled," Haws said. Knudsen was also pleased with the results. "I love the results," she said. "I'm so glad Hillary took California. Barack (Obama's) a nice guy, and it's not the end of the world if he won the nomination. I'm sure he's going to be a good leader someday, but he's a little too inexperienced." Sandy Harth, the club's publicity director, feels the Democratic presidential candidates Clinton and Obama are giving their party an emotional boost. "I think the energy is with the Democratic Party," said Harth, who also lives in Simi Valley. "Record numbers of Democrats are coming out, especially younger people, which is great." Brian Levy, who will replace Haws as club president on March 1, said he was intrigued by Tuesday's results. "My take on it is the Clinton camp is probably drawing a big sigh of relief, and the Obama camp has an equal right to be ecstatic," said Levy, who moved to Simi Valley three years ago from Santa Barbara. "They both exceeded their expectations. . . . On the Republican side, (Mitt) Romney has been the media darling. It's very interesting that Republican voters have not bought into the right-wing media spin on Romney." Haws said the biggest issues unifying the Democrats are their disapproval of the war in Iraq and their desire to scrap the No Child Left Behind act. Views differ when it comes to immigration or even abortion rights, Haws added. In Ventura County, Clinton received 53.44 percent (50,903 votes) of the Democratic votes. At the hotel polling station, Haws said that 15 registered Republicans wrote in for a Democratic candidate. Poll workers are not allowed to handle ballots; however, they are allowed to count write-in votes to make sure the number of ballots and voters matches up. Haws also said that three people left the polls without voting because they were frustrated they couldn't vote for a Republican candidate. In California, only registered Republicans can vote for their respective party in a primary. Even though Democrats are a minority in Simi Valley, members wouldn't want to live anywhere else. "I love Simi Valley," Knudsen said. The Simi Valley-Moorpark Democratic Club, which has been a nonprofit organization for more than 10 years, meets every third Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Simi Valley Library. There will be a discussion about the death penalty at the Feb. 20 meeting. For more information about the club, visit their website at www.venturacountydemocrats.com. |
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