Ballot Design Did Change Outcome of Carmel City Council Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MONTEREY, CA, May 8, 2008 - The Chair of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee issued the following statement today:

We have concluded our review of the election results on behalf of a group of Carmel residents and we have established that the error in the ballot design did affect the election result, denying a victory to the council challenger, Michael LePage. Our review shows that at least 25 voters would have voted only for Mr. LePage had they known that this was legal. Mr. LePage lost by 22 votes.

This evidence bolsters our preliminary analysis which showed that poll voters who had the benefit of the city's ballot correction notice were significantly more likely to vote for the single challenger in the three-way council race. Absentee voters (more than half of whom were unaware of the ballot design flaw) favored the appointed incumbents.

The injured parties in this case are not just Mr. LePage, but the voters of Carmel, who need to know they can rely on accurate information from the city and who need to be able to have confidence in the election process.

The Monterey County Democratic Party has assisted Carmel voters in considering legal action seeking to have the results overturned in court. As the facts are clear, we are confident we would prevail.

However, in consulting with Mr. LePage and his supporters we have been influenced by the following considerations:

• The City of Carmel would incur significant expenses disputing our suit.
• The city has already lost two major court cases recently, and has had to pay the plaintiff's attorney's fees in excess of $100,000.
• The city faces large expenditures in order to support fire safety.

One of the key planks in Michael LePage's campaign was the need to fully fund public safety in our village.

Therefore, Mr. LePage and his supporters have asked that we not take the city to court. We will comply with that request.

We believe that the city shoud instead take steps to rectify the situation that led to this election debacle in the first place. It can do that simply by moving its election to the fall, when all other cities in Monterey County hold their elections. This will save the city money, boost voter turnout and ensure that the county's experienced, professional staff will run all aspects of the election.

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