Sonoma Democrat seeks
GOP primary votes

By LORI A. CARTER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Monday, May 24, 2010 at 5:23 p.m.

Sonoma Councilwoman Joanne Sanders, who is running against Assemblywoman Noreen Evans in the 2nd District state Senate race, has urged Republicans to switch their political affiliation so they can vote for her in the Democratic primary on June 8.

Sanders, who for years was a Republican, changed her party registration to Democrat in January 2008, according to county Registrar of Voters databases.

An e-mail sent by her campaign on Friday, and released by Evans' campaign, instructs registered Republicans on “How non-Democrats can vote for Joanne.”

“Dear Friends,” Sanders' campaign manager, David Feighan, wrote in an e-mail. “We have recently been contacted by a friend of the campaign who wanted to share this important message with you.”

He then quotes Sonoma resident Reann Dukes: “If you are like me, not a registered Democrat, but want to vote for Joanne, please know that Monday, May 24, is the deadline to change your voter affiliation. (You may change your affiliation back at any time.)”

The e-mail blast has raised the ire of Evans supporters who say it shows Sanders' Republican colors.

“Recognizing that this district is overwhelmingly Democratic, she re-registered as a Democrat two years ago so she could run for state office. Now, she is seeking to win the Democratic nomination for state Senate by urging her Republican friends and supporters to re-register as Democrats to vote for her in the primary on June 8,” said John Whitehurst, Evans' campaign manager, in a statement.

“Voters should not be fooled. The only candidate in this race who truly represents their values and whose merit has been tested over and over is Noreen Evans."

The 2nd district seat, being vacated by the retiring Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, is considered something of a Death Valley for Republicans. It covers parts of six counties, including Sonoma and Napa, and votes heavily for Democratic candidates.

Sanders responded that she simply wanted to let her bi-partisan supporters know they wouldn't be able to vote for her if they are registered Republicans.

“I'm in a non-partisan role and have been for six years,” she said of her time on the Sonoma City Council. “Many of my supporters have become my supporters while I've been in a non-partisan position. So it's natural, once I transition to a partisan role, that I have very broad constituency.”

She said the desire to cross party lines to vote in a primary is an example of disillusioned voters unhappy with rigid roles of the two major parties.

In California, registered Republicans and Democrats cannot cross party lines in primary elections for partisan races. Those registered independent or “decline to state” are allowed to vote in either primary.

In July 1998, Sanders registered as a Republican with the Sonoma County registrar, according to county records. In December of 2007, she was mailed a Republican ballot for the February primary election.

Then she switched party affiliation to Democrat in January 2008 and was issued a Democratic ballot for the primary, which included the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton primary contest.
However, Sonoma County's assistant registrar of voters Gloria Colter said that in the presidential primary Sanders used her 2007 Republican mail ballot and not her newly issued Democratic party ballot.

It's not clear yet how many people have changed party affiliation for the Sanders-Evans race or any other in this election. Elections officials will be tallying voter data within the next few weeks.

Dan Mullen, a San Rafael-based political consultant who has worked on Sonoma County campaigns, said Sanders' request to GOP voters is unusual.

“Whether she's trying to get as many votes as humanly possible or something else, it's going to annoy a lot of Democratic voters,” he said.

anders said the Republican party no longer represents her values and that she is “enthusiastically seeking” the Democratic nomination.

Dukes, the Sanders supporter, said she just recently realized that she couldn't vote for her friend because she is a Republican. She desribes herself a fiscal conservative and social progressive.

“There isn't anyone who speaks for me, so I vote both ways,” Dukes said. “It's important to vote for people who you think will do the job, people who are willing to work with both sides. I'm going to vote for people I think will do something different.”

The deadline for changing party affiliation for the June 8 primary election was midnight Monday.