KMAX: News of the West

SACRAMENTO (AP) As the curtain closed on California's unprecedented recall campaign, officials readied polling places and prepared an army of poll workers to help millions of voters make their historic choice Tuesday.

Los Angeles County alone hired 14,000 poll workers for its nearly 4 million voters and 2,000 voting precincts, while rural Tehama County readied 39 polling places Monday for its 28,200 voters.

``We're ready. It's been an up and down fight all the way. We never have stopped and we're ready to go,'' said Tehama County Registrar Mary Alice George.

With 13 hours of voting set to begin at 7 a.m. Tuesday, more than 15.3 million voters are eligible to decide whether Gov. Gray Davis finishes his second term and who will replace him if he is recalled.

Tuesday's vote will cap a recall spectacle that turned official July 23, drew 135 candidates and 28 write-ins onto the ballot and gained worldwide attention.

``We've never seen a crowd at our front counter like we have in this election,'' said San Diego County Assistant Registrar Tim McNamara.

Registrars, who cut their number of precincts by about half to cope with the campaign's shortened time frame, still predicted a smooth election, even as the race appeared to be tightening, stoking fears that results might take days to announce.

As candidates barnstormed the state and political operatives steered remember-to-vote messages to home answering machines, California's 58 county elections departments began processing the 2.1 million absentee ballots that have poured in for weeks. Already, that count slightly exceeds the absentee vote in last November's gubernatorial election and more absentee ballots are still expected.

Officials said Monday the results of that vote, when announced shortly after 8 p.m. in most counties, will provide the first official glimpse of voter sentiment. Statewide, voters requested 3.2 million absentee ballots.

Counties also finished moving the last of their voting machines and booths to thousands of sites school cafeterias, garages and community centers where poll workers will arrive before sunrise. Staffers spent the day on the telephone answering questions from voters and reporters.

``We have extra operators and the phone has been ringing off the hook: Where's my polling place, where's my sample ballot, where's my absentee ballot? Everybody waits until the last minute, no matter how much time you give them, everybody waits until the last minute,'' said Ventura County Assistant Registrar Bruce Bradley.

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has declined to predict how many voters will turn out, but most county officials believe it will far outpace the 50 percent of registered voters who voted last November.

``We'll probably be in the high 60s,'' Bradley said.

The most recent statewide count of voters showed Democrats still maintaining a 43.7 percent to 35.3 percent registration lead over Republicans.

For six counties Tuesday's balloting will also mark the end of punch card voting.

``This is the last time using it,'' said Mendocino County Assessor-Clerk Recorder Marsha Wharff.

They're switching to optical scans in November, along with Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Solano counties.

^ =

Associated Press Writer Anna Oberthur contributed to this story.

^ =

On the Net:

Secretary of State's Web site: http://www.ss.ca.gov