Filling Assembly seat complicated

Voters in the 43rd Assembly District will cast as many as four ballots in 2010, possibly electing two new representatives before the year comes to a close, according to California’s Secretary of State.

The string of elections will begin with balloting to fill a midterm vacancy left behind by now-Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian. But the Assembly seat would have been up for election in November, regardless of whether or not Krekorian left it, leaving voters to decide on a new representative then.

Campaigning has already begun for the district’s special primary election April 13.

Voters will be able to cast a ballot for any candidate in that race, regardless of party affiliation.

Any candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote in that contest will win the Assembly seat outright, although observers consider that outcome unlikely.

But even if the special election is resolved after the April primary, the winning candidate would only serve in office for a matter of months, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Voters will go back to the polls June 8 to cast primary ballots by party in advance of Nov. 2 general elections, which will include Assembly races.

“It’s insane,” said Mona Field, professor emeritus of political science at Glendale Community College.

Four Democrats are vying for votes in the April primary, including attorney and former district director for Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) Mike Gatto, Los Angeles City Council staffer Andrew Westall, Glendale Unified School District Board of Education member Nayiri Nahabedian and former Glendale Police Department Public Information Officer Chahe Keuroghelian.

Those candidates will likely split Democratic votes, leaving little chance for any of them to earn more than 50% of ballots, even in a district where 47% of voters are registered Democrats, observers said.

Sunder Ramani, former president of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce and a board member for various area community organizations, is the lone Republican who has so far stated his intent to run in the district, where 25% of registered voters are Republicans and 23% have declined to state a party affiliation.

With no clear winner in April, the race would move to a runoff election June 8 between the top vote-getters from each political party.

That could leave voters casting ballots on the same day for the special runoff election and for party primaries in advance of the November contest.

That scenario will likely prompt candidates to register for both elections, Field said.

Candidates can file their election documents between Tuesday and March 1 for the special election. Those interested in running in the November race can register between Feb. 15 and March 12.

That could make for an interesting political game of leapfrog, depending how voters cast June ballots, Field said.

“All of them have to also sign up for the June primary because none of them know who will be the top vote-getter,” she said of the slate of Democrats vying for the seat. “And theoretically the person who goes into the runoff on June 8 might not be the same person who wins the Democratic primary on June 8.”