During the 2013 Mayoral city elections, voter turnout in the City of Los Angeles was only 20.8 percent in the March primary election and 23.3 percent in the May runoff election; approximately 11.1 percent of the total population of the entire City of Los Angeles decided the elected leadership of the City.
If you were involved in your Neighborhood Council elections, you already know how important local elections can be. In a city as large as Los Angeles, local decisions can have far-reaching effects across the county, state, and region. So.. why don’t more Angelenos vote? The City’s newly founded Municipal Elections Reform Commission wants to hear from you. Their upcoming community input meetings are an opportunity for every Angeleno to voice their opinion on how we can increase voter turnout in municipal elections, engage voters prior to election day, and accommodate for the various obstacles that prevent people from going out to vote.
They are looking for answers to questions such as:
- What can the City do to increase voter turnout?
- How can the City engage voters prior to and on Election Day?
- How should same-day voter registration be maximized?
- Would you be more inclined to vote IF:
- the City changed its election dates?
- Election Day were on a weekend?
- the City offered locations for early voting prior to Election Day?
In October of 2013, the City Council recognized the need to take a fully comprehensive approach to increase civic engagement and voter participation by creating the City of Los Angeles Municipal Elections Reform Commission. Members are reviewing various City laws for
effectiveness, are holding public hearings in different regions of the City, and will submit a final report to the Mayor and Council with recommendations designed to help increase voter turnout and participation.
Attend the meetings and let the commission know what you think!
Dates and Locations for Community Meetings:
Tuesday, May 27 @ 6:00PM
West LA Municipal Building
1645 Corinth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:00PM
West Valley Municipal Building
19040 Vanowen Street
Reseda, CA 91335
Thursday, May 29 @ 6:00PM
Van Nuys City Hall, Council Chambers
14410 Sylvan Street
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Saturday, May 31 @ 10:00AM
San Pedro Municipal Building
638 S. Beacon Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
Sunday, June 1 @ 1:00PM
Hollywood Neighborhood City Hall
6501 Fountain Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Monday, June 2 @ 6:00PM
Pacoima City Hall
13520 Van Nuys Blvd
Pacoima, CA 91331
Wednesday, June 4 @ 6:00PM
Boyle Heights Civic Center
2130 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
To learn more about the work of the Commission, please visit http://electionscommission.lacity.org, email [email protected], or call (213) 978-1071.
