Ali OTO

by Jeremey D. Prillwitz
Capitol Weekly
April 6, 1998

California voters will be presented with a clear choice this year in the Secretary of State race. Incumbent Bill Jones has made reducing voter fraud and purging “deadwood” from the voter rolls his priorities. Michela Alioto’s goal, conversely, is to activate and inspire approximately 9 million eligible voters who are not currently voting.

“My goal is to make it easier to vote, and to increase participation within the political system,” Alioto remarks.

Alioto supported the motor voter law which allowed voter registation at DMV, and Jones opposed it. Alioto favors same-day registration, online registration, and various other measures designed to increase voter turnout. Jones disagrees.

Alioto, similar to former interim Secretary of State Tony Miller, also believes the office should be designated as nonpartisan, much like the Office of Superintendant of Public Instruction. Jones, conversely, has established a highly partisan record since taking office nearly four years ago.

“(Jones) wants a very segregated group showing up at the polls,” Alioto comments, referring to the incumbent’s tendency to fight voter fraud only when it involves Democratic constituencies such as the Latinos who voted for Loretta Sanchez in 1996.

Alioto points out that Jones thoroughly investigted the unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in that case, while he backed off when Republican Assemblyman Scott Baugh was accused of gross violations of ethics in a successful 1995 recall election.

“I think we should have zero tolerance for voter fraud,” Alioto explains, “but we should also ensure that all those who are eligible to vote be enabled and encouraged to vote.”

Because of her personal experience with disabilities and her outreach to youths, Alioto has become intimately aware of the failures of California officials to encourage certain groups to vote. She says that many polling places are not accessble to people like herself who use wheelchairs, and many young people are not even aware that they become eligible to vote at age 18.

To alleviate the first problem, Alioto says that she would propose that California take necessary steps to ensure that all polling places be wheelchair-friendly.

Regarding the low awareness of young potential voters, Alioto proposes a statewide program to increase the interest of high school students in the political process. The program, Alioto suggests, could be modeled after the Presidential fitness contest which currently takes place annually.

“We need to be more proactive,” she contends. “When people are turning 18 there should be some type of outreach.”

According to Alioto, voter turnout is unacceptably low in California. “Of the 19 million eligible voters in California,” she notes, “14 million are registered to vote, and about 10 million actually vote. That leaves at least 9 million who are not voting, which is more than the population of entire states.”

Despite this crisis in voter participation, Alioto points out, the current Secretary of State hs employed “poll guards” and called for increased identification requirements before voting. “We’re supposed to be doing the opposite,” she declares. “This is America, not Communist China.”

The list of areas in which Alioto differs from Jones continues. During the Jones years, as reporters, researchers, and others know all too well, the Secretary of State’s office has not been one of the more efficient agencies in the California government.

One regular user of the office sums it up. “The Secretary of State is not user friendly,” the source comments. “If you don’tknow exactly what you need, you wonit get it.” Long lines, slow response to requests, and incomplete or poorly organized reports are widely-cited problems which have persisted throughout the Jones era.

Many Secretary of State regulars also question whether the agency will provide comprehensive Internet access to records in a timely manner, as promised.

Alioto says that making the office more user-friendly, in part through rapid transition to the Internet of all records, is one of her top priorities.

Reducing unnecessary bureaucracy is clearly linked to the process of making the office more user-friendly, Alioto explains. “The cost associated with bureaucracy is incredible,” she notes.

Few are better qualified to address the issue, because she spent two and a half years working with Vice President Al Gore in his reknowned “Reinventing Government” program. While serving as a transition liaison and policy advisor, Alioto learned that government can provide more services to the public if the process is streamlined.

“The Secretary of State’s office has been so bureaucratic, and it has not changed with the times,” Alioto says.

Her time in the Clinton administration was one of many learning experiences that has shaped her. Another was her 1996 Congressional race against ultra-conservative Frank Riggs.

In one of the more interesting and controversial rces that year, Riggs narrowly defeated Alioto after viciously attacking her in a barrage of paid media spots during the final weeks of the campaign.

“It’s a very humbling expereince to actually be out there campaigning,” she recalls. “I put 60,000 miles on my car in that camapign — we were everywhere.”

Onlookers attributed Alioto’s loss to everything from poor management, to low voter trunout, to unethical campaigning by Riggs. In one account, it was suggested that Alioto lacked the roots in the district which were necessary to gain the support of her constiuents.

Alioto disagrees with those who would contend that she ran a poor campaign. “We did run a very good campaign, and I learned a lot,” she remarks.

One thing that she learned is that negative campaigning can truly damage a candidate, and few limits exist as to what a candidate can say on an advertisement. “(Riggs’) ads were unbelieveable,” Alioto contends, “We need campaign ethics reform…because advertising needs to be accurate.”

A member of the famous San Francisco political family headed by her legendary grandfater Joe, Alioto has learned to respect the political process. “I was taught that politics is an honorable profession,” she notes. “I’m very proud of my family, and I have always realized how fortunate I was growing up in that setting.”

The positive name recognition she has developed as a member of a noteworthy family, and as an official in the Clinton Administration, has positioned Alioto as an extremely formidable challenger to Bill Jones. Recent polls show Alioto with higher name recognition than the incumbent, a rare occurence in politics.

The stark contrast between the philosophies of the two candidates should make for a highly substantive race. Alioto hopes that voters agree with her that inclusiveness and efficiency should be the priorities of the next Secretary of State.

“I am really struck by the amount of apathy I have seen among young people,” Alioto concludes. “By targeting the youth, I think I can make a difference in a positive way.”