ELECTION WATCH: Kids Vote Draws Young Voters

Kids Vote 2010 Draws Youth Vote, 6 p.m.

Kids Vote 2010 was a hit at the County Building today.

At least 25 kids from across the county voted in the Santa Cruz Elections Department with their parents during Kids Vote 2010, said County Clerk Gail Pellerin.

"Kids love it," said Amoke Chirstenson, 14, a Santa Cruz high student who has volunteered the past two years with Kids Vote. She manned the Kids Vote table at the Santa Cruz County Elections Department this evening.

"Any kid that has come in has loved it," she said. "Kids like getting a chance to act like their parents." 

The results from Kids Vote 2010 will be released later this week.

Santa Cruz County Elections, by the numbers, 3 p.m.

• 148,000 registered voters in Santa Cruz County, a new record.
• 54,832 voters are permanent mail-in voters—almost 40 percent of the total voters.
• 68,322 vote-by-mail ballots were issued as of 3 p.m. today.
• Roughly 24,5000 of those vote-by-mail ballots will be counted tonight.
• 143 polling precincts in the county.
• 99 mail ballot precincts (precincts with 250 or fewer voters).
• More than 900 poll workers took part in Election Day, including many high school student workers.

Voter turnout "seems busy," 1:30 p.m.

Voter turnout in Santa Cruz appears to be good today.

"It seems busy," said County Clerk Gail Pellerin. "I hear there are lines and people are voting."

But, she added, she refuses to project turnout.

"I don't do any turnout projections, because I expect every voter to vote," she said. "There is no excuse not to vote."

Pellerin noted the Elections Department will count 24,500 mail-in ballots tonight, with expectations to collect at least 10,000 more.

Volunteers were sent to collect the mail-in ballots collected in a drop-box outside the county building.

Santa Cruz County building, 11:30 a.m.

Marijuana legalization appears to big issue for Santa Cruz County voters, many of whom went to the Santa Cruz County building this morning to vote.

Marguerite Rose, a Santa Cruz resident, said it is the most important issue facing voters on Election Day.

"I think it a very viable source of revenue for the state," Rose said. "It makes sense for the state."

Ardella Davies, another Santa Cruz resident who plans to vote later in the day at her polling station in the Harvey West area, agreed with Rose.

"The pot," she said, is the most critical issue voters face. "They need to legalize it."

Watsonville resident Arcenio Paniagua said the choice for governor is most critical.

"I want Brown," he said. "He has the most experience and a lot of new ideas."