For fun or in protest, voters fill in blanks 3/05/02 POLITICAL NOTEBOOK / By NORA K. WALLACE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER Imagine voting for Donald Duck, a favorite rock star, or even a friend. It happens more than you'd think. Each election, the blank "write-in" space on ballots proves to be too much of a temptation for some folks, and a weird assortment of names appears below those of qualified candidates. "We get a strange variety," said Bob Smith, county Elections Division manager. "From the comical, Mickey Mouse, to the bizarre. Someone will undoubtedly put a terrorist's name there (today). We get the whole gamut." Trouble is, those bizarre names don't count. Though many voters don't realize it, there is a specific protocol that must be followed in order to qualify as an official write-in candidate. Not that Donald Duck cares. But others do, including a Ventura man who decided to run as a write-in for the 23rd Congressional District seat. Republican Vincent Gillespe submitted the valid number of signatures to qualify as a write-in candidate, in an attempt to beat out fellow Republicans Don Regan and Beth Rogers, who are trying to unseat incumbent Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara. Mr. Gillespe could not be reached for comment to explain why he's running. Each polling place within the district, which runs from San Luis Obispo County into Ventura County, will include a flier recognizing him as a candidate in that race, Mr. Smith said. For whatever reason, in each election, some voters feel compelled to scribble in names of people, cartoon characters and the like, Mr. Smith said. Typically, he expects to see between 100 to 200 names written in on ballots. "You may have 20 races on a given ballot," he explained. "Within those 20, somebody is going to be upset with something. Most of it is protesting that particular race." Last minute: Voters needing last-minute election information can log on to a number of Web sites. One of the most comprehensive is the nonprofit California Voter Foundation, at www.calvoter.org. It includes an online voter guide, with information about all state and congressional races on the Primary Election ballot. There's also a link to the top 10 donors for and against state propositions, and the Archive of Campaign Promises, which can help voters track campaign promises made by state-level politicians. Each election year, the organization also creates an "Election Song." This year's version, in part, goes like this: "Oh, we're having an election It's for all the people in Cali-for-ni-a Lots of things are different Many rules have changed So if you feel a little lost Don't think that you're to blame..." Also online is the League of Women Voters of California, at www.smartvoter.org. You can create a voter guide personalized to your address. The Secretary of State's site has the California Voter Information Guide at http://voterguide.ss.ca.gov. One guide is also available in multiple languages. The Easy Reading Voter Guide, by the League of Women Voters and the California State Library, can be found at www.easyvoter.org. "Studies show an increasing number of voters are turning to the Internet for election information," said Kim Alexander, the California Voter Foundation's president. A survey in January 2001 by the Public Policy Institute of California determined that 44 percent of the state's voters used the Internet to get information about the presidential election, and 28 percent used it for state election news, Ms. Alexander said. New office: Constituents looking for the office of Mrs. Capps on Chapala Street need to look in a new direction. The Santa Barbara Democrat has moved her district office to the Granada Building. The new address is 1216 State St., Suite 403. Phone number is unchanged: 730-1710. Get printer-friendly version