Los Angeles Commission Recommends Moving Election Day

LOS ANGELES — In Los Angeles, voter turnout rates are on the decline. Voter turnout in LA County for the Tuesday June 3rd Primary Election was 13 percent. Turnout for the March 2013 City of Los Angeles Primary Election was 20.8 percent of the registered voters. For the May runoff election turnout was 23.3 percent. On October 22, 2013, the City Council created the City of Los Angeles Municipal Elections Reform Commission. On June 5, 2014, the Commission adopted their final report outlining a set of recommendations for how to increase turnout and participation in municipal elections.

“This Commission has made the important recommendation to the Los Angeles City Council to move our city elections from spring in the even years to align with state and federal elections in June and November the even years,” stated Kathay Feng, commissioner and California Common Cause Executive Director. “The public testimony, statistical research, and expert interviews all pointed to this one move as the single structural change that would increase voter turnout by double digits. We additionally recommended enhancing early voting, voter outreach, and other administrative changes to give voters easier and better choices to vote.”

The Commission’s report has moved to the Los Angeles City Council’s Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which is expected to consider the recommendations on June 20th. The rules committee may give the Neighborhood Councils 60 days to consider and comment on the recommendations. From there, the recommendations will go on to the Los Angeles City Council.

Read the Los Angeles Municipal Elections Reform Commission’s full report here.