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This is the executive summary for the report, Getting to 100%: How changing the election date can improve voter turnout.

One of the greatest barometers for waning civic engagement in American politics is declining voter turnout in federal, state, and municipal elections. There are many potential contributing factors: general cynicism about government and elected officials, a decline in investment in civics education, and an increasingly transient society. Yet there is one major contributing factor to low voter turnout – the timing of elections – that could be addressed with a relatively simple policy change. The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 350 California cities and found that simply moving an election to be synchronized with the even year state elections can result in a 21-36 percent boost in voter turnout for municipal and other local elections.

We write to commend Los Angeles City Council for taking an honest look at the ongoing problem of low voter turnout in Los Angeles City elections. In 2013, when we had an open race for the mayor’s seat, and open races for city council seats, we were all shocked when the elections drew less than 1 in four voters to cast a ballot.

Dear Assembly Member Feuer, Please accept this letter of support for AB 1436, which will help extend provisional ballots to voters who register after the 15-day prior registration deadline for elections.