Here's an interesting article from the PE, which could potentially be good news for San Bernardino and Riverside County- that is, if we remain "red counties":

San Bernardino and Riverside counties are already recruiting poll workers and hunting for dozens more polling places in preparation for voter turnout that could be as high as 80 percent in November's presidential election.

"We just want to be prepared for this election because it will be busy," said Kari Verjil, San Bernardino County's registrar of voters. The office's preparations have already begun, more than a month earlier than in past presidential elections.

San Bernardino County is estimating 75 percent or higher turnout, Verjil said. Riverside County may see a staggering 80 percent, said Doug Kinzle, that county's assistant registrar of voters.

In the past two presidential elections, turnout in Riverside County hovered above 70 percent and was considered high. San Bernardino County's turnout was almost 72 percent in 2004 and 67 percent in 2000.

High gas prices, a slumping economy, the war in Iraq, highly publicized primary contests and renewed pushes for voter registration are expected to bring well more than one-half million voters to the polls in each county this November. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is set to become the Democratic Party's first black presidential nominee. Former Vietnam POW Sen. John McCain of Arizona is expected to head the Republican ticket.

Besides adding poll workers and polling places, Inland registrars of voters are planning for voluminous mountains of extra-bulky paper ballots. They are also campaigning to boost voting by mail in order to reduce the lines at the polls.

"We think that turnouts are going to be spectacular. It is a lot more work -- there is no getting around it -- but we believe in the process," said Stephen L. Weir, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials and Contra Costa County's registrar of voters.

"I think you will find most registrars and their staff are jazzed about it," he said.

More Hands on Deck

Inland registrars' offices are hoping the election excitement will carry over to potential poll workers, making recruitment an easier task.

During training for the June state primary elections, poll workers were already buzzing about the November races, said Kathi Payne, elections analyst for the San Bernardino County registrar of voters' office.

"I still think it is going to be difficult," said Riverside County's Kinzle. "We probably are going to need more poll workers than we have ever used."

He said Riverside County estimates it will need about 4,000 workers at the polls in November.

San Bernardino County aims to recruit about 3,500 poll workers, Payne said. Each county had about 2,500 poll workers in the 2004 presidential election.

Recruitment efforts in San Bernardino County normally kick off in August, but the registrar of voters' office has already begun reaching out to community groups, businesses, and county and state employees, Payne said.

Election officials set up a recruitment booth for the first time at the San Bernardino County Fair in Victorville in May, Verjil said.

The county is refurbishing a tractor-trailer donated by the library, turning the old bookmobile into a votemobile, she said. The votemobile will enable registrar of voters' employees to cruise the vast county, signing up poll workers and voters, she said. Riverside County unveiled a similar votemobile, dubbed ROVER, in 2005.

Another new initiative is Adopt-A-Poll. Both Inland counties are encouraging businesses and civic groups to claim a polling place and to agree to supply it with poll workers.

Kinzle said Riverside County's recruitment is ongoing and year-round, but the county generally amps up its efforts about three months before the election, when it brings in temporary workers to assist.

The county hopes to increase the number of workers at each polling place to as many as six, from four, for this election to keep the lines moving, he said.

More Ballot Boxes

Both counties expect not only a high turnout in the November election but also tens of thousands of people to register as new voters before then. This is usually the case before a big presidential election, the registrars said.

Riverside County expects to need about 800 polling places in November, up from the approximately 720 used in both the February presidential primary and the state's June primary elections, Kinzle said. The county has a few thousand potential polling places surveyed and on file to draw on for the November election, he said.

San Bernardino County will likely need 50 to 100 new polling spots, Payne said. The office has teams of surveyors scouting possible locations, verifying their parking availability, lighting, capacity and accessibility for disabled people.

Both counties' voting officials say finding the correct building in the right location can be a challenge, especially in largely residential precincts. Registrars avoid using private homes, and some schools have resisted serving as polling places because of concerns about having strangers on campus.

Teresa Denham, senior services director at the Janet Goeske Center in Riverside, said the senior center has happily provided polling space for many years. Many older people without transportation in the neighboring senior apartment complex can easily vote there, she said.

"We have a lot of seniors in the area, and they feel a little more comfortable coming here," she said. "We don't do it for the money because there isn't much in it. We do it for the service."

Registrars say they depend on people's sense of civic duty.

Both counties pay a stipend of about $100 to poll workers. Still, the hours can stretch from dawn until as late as 9 and 10 at night, Payne said.

"It's a civic responsibility they feel strongly about. No one is getting rich working at the polls," she said. "They are just very dedicated to the process."

Reach Julia Glick at 951-368-9442 or jglick@PE.com

Work the Polls

Voter turnout for November's presidential election may break records so the registrars of voters for Riverside and San Bernardino counties are seeking poll workers. High school students as well as registered voters are eligible to serve.

To apply in Riverside County

www.election.co.riverside.ca.us/polls/olApp.asp

In San Bernardino County

www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/ROV/general_info/pollworker_program.htm