Perplexed voters hotline – Liz Atkinson answers a question at a phone bank set up in the Secretary of State’s election services office. Ms. Atkinson was among the more than half-dozen elections’ office workers fielding calls for today’s primary election. Many callers asked where they should vote and others had questions about the newly implemented voter ID law.

Elections workers at the Secretary of State’s Office all pitched in to take call-in queries from voters for today’s primary election. They showed up for work at 6 a.m.
The office received about 500 calls today, most callers were seeking their appropriate polling places, or the exact types of identification now needed to vote. A “handful” of calls from voters complaining about the identification requirements were received, but most comments on the effects of Prop 200 were positive, said Deputy Secretary of State Kevin Tyne.
Those working the phones included campaign finance officials, a customer service representative and the elections office manger. They wore red T-shirts with a get-out-the-vote slogan.
Robert Flores, the voter outreach officer, fielded calls from Spanish speakers. Mr. Flores said, however, had only gotten three calls in Spanish by mid-morning – and dozens in English.
Elections-office computers were programmed with answers to common questions, said Mr. Tyne.
In addition, Mr. Tyne said, “Federal statute requires all complaints to be logged in.”
One caller complained about a crucifix at his polling place, a Catholic church. The caller said he was not Catholic. Mr. Tyne said the only way around it was by mail-in ballot or early voting. It was too late for that, at least for today’s primary, he added.