September 18, 2006

Mikel Haas, Department Head
Registrar of Voters
5201 Ruffin Road, Suite I
San Diego, CA 92123

Dear Mr. Haas:

I am writing this letter as the President of the East County Democratic Club, and also as a concerned citizen. I am very concerned about the locations of some of the polls, and particularly the location where I voted in the past election. Specifically, my precinct is 558800 and the polling place is in the sanctuary of the Hillside Church of God. Worse yet, this polling place is shared with yet another precinct, 558720, and their voting area was right up at the altar in the front of the sanctuary, directly beneath the cross.

The situation is that we have a special interest group, the churches, who have polling places in areas where their members will be under an intense amount of pressure to vote according to the needs of that special interest group. In my mind, this does not square with the fairness we should see in our election process, and certainly also questions the separation of church and state that is a fundamental in our constitution. This is particularly important during a time when we see ballot initiatives that involve religious symbols, such as the cross on Mt. Soledad or Mt. Helix. I imagine it might be difficult to vote against such a cross if you were a member of that church completing your ballot on the altar.

From another angle, I find it quite distasteful to be having the polling place in the house of the Lord and on the altar, such a sacred area in the eyes of Christians everywhere.

But that is not the only problem. During the election process in June, I found a table with church marketing materials, as well as the “Christian Examiner” newspaper within steps of the polling areas. Inside that newspaper were voting instructions and ads for the candidates supported by those churches. I complained to your office about this material but have received no formal reply to that complaint.

My requests are as follows:
1.	Please move polling places out of all churches and place them in public places that are funded by the government or in individual's homes. There are plenty of schools in the area that can accommodate the polling places. Plus, it is very educational for kids to witness this process in action and become accustomed to seeing people go to the polls.
2.	To follow up on that request, please provide a list of all polling places that are in churches under your jurisdiction, and indicate which ones are in the sanctuary.
3.	Please provide a formal reply to my complaint about the “Christian Examiner” newspaper, and include what specific steps your office has taken to address this violation.

I will be sharing your responses with our Club members.

Raymond Lutz, President
Residence: (1010 Old Chase Ave, El Cajon)