Primary inspires tepid interest

Turnout predicted to be lowest in modern era

Voter turnout for California’s presidential primary election Tuesday is projected to be the worst ever in the state’s modern era: Only 35 percent of the state’s registered voters are expected to perform their civic duty, according to a Field Poll estimate Tuesday.

That’s a long, loud yawn from where the excitement level was four years ago, when an emotional, high-profile Democratic battle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — held on Feb. 5 in the thick of the campaign season — inspired 57 percent of the state’s registered voters to cast ballots.

Analysts say the expected drop-off in voting this year is not surprising given the relative lack of political drama on Tuesday’s ballot, starting at the top of the ticket.

President Obama is running unopposed in this Democrat-dominated state, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney more or less

wrapped up the GOP presidential race months ago. In addition, two statewide propositions on the ballot have not prompted outrage, while San Francisco’s ballot is relatively trim.

“Most presidential primaries have something compelling to offer voters, but this one doesn’t,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll.

Little excitement

There seems to be little excitement even though this is the first election since California’s once-a-decade redrawing of its political boundaries was done by a citizen-led commission instead of by legislators or the courts.

Obama and Romney have visited the state just long enough to scoop up contributions at exclusive, high-dollar fundraisers, and neither of them has deigned to mix much with voters who aren’t writing them campaign checks.

While the opposing sides warring over Proposition 29, which would add a $1-per-pack tax to cigarettes and direct the money to cancer research and smoking prevention, have raised a total of $59.1 million so far, the measure hasn’t inspired a flood of early voting.

Neither the tobacco measure nor Proposition 28 — which would reduce the total time a person could serve in the Legislature from 14 years to 12 years but allow the time to be spent in one house of the Legislature — are inspiring a broad swath of voters, analysts said. Lawmakers now are limited to six years in the Assembly and eight years in the Senate.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is up for re-election, but the senator hasn’t felt threatened enough by any of

“There is no excuse for not voting. Think of all the countries where people have died for their right to vote.”

her 23 challengers on the ballot to campaign much in the state.

There’s not even a sense of nostalgia, as Tuesday will be the last time that voter initiatives and referendums will appear on primary ballots. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a measure moving all such initiatives to November general election ballots.

On top of all that, most voters don’t seem to be confused by the new top-two primary ballot, according to the Field Poll, which found that 3 of every 4 voters are not confused. For the first time in the state, all candidates seeking federal and state elective offices — except president — will be listed together on a single ballot regardless of their political party affiliation.

In San Francisco, voters will get a rest from their usual bloated ballot. While there is the usual crowd of candidates for Democratic County Central Committee, there are only two local measures on the ballot, the smallest number since 1996.

City measures

Proposition A would divide the city’s lucrative garbage contract into five parts and open it up for competitive bidding, ending the 80-year monopoly Recology and its earlier companies have had on San Francisco’s trash business. Proposition B is an advisory measure calling on the city to limit private use of Coit Tower and pump more money into the city landmark.

Gail Pellerin, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, is aghast that people wouldn’t vote just because of a lack of sizzle on the ballot.

“How pathetic is that?” said Pellerin, who is the Santa Cruz county clerk. “There is no excuse for not voting. Think of all the countries where people have died for their right to vote.”

The Field Poll was based on a survey of 608 likely voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.