Voter turn out is low compared to 2008 election
About 46 percent of the 1.5 million vote-by-mail ballots had been returned
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—About 352,500 fewer voters cast ballots by 1 p.m. today compared to the same time on Election Day 2008.
Voter turnout in Los Angeles County was about 32 percent as of 1 p.m. today, behind the 43 percent turnout at the same time on Election Day 2008, according to the Registrar’s Office.
About 8.7 percent more Los Angeles County voters were registered to vote in this year’s election than in 2008—4,674,338 this year compared to 4,298,440 in 2008.
In Hancock Park, some residents complained about not being notified about a polling place being moved, from a spot near Third Street and Wilton Place to the Wilshire United Methodist Church a few blocks away at 4350 Wilshire Blvd.
A spokeswoman for the Registrar’s Office said election workers notified voters in that precinct by postcard and “robo calls.”
As of Monday, about 46 percent of the 1.5 million county-issued vote-by-mail ballots had been returned, according to the Regisrar’s Office.
Voter turnout today in Orange County was running about half the rate in 2008, Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said.
As of 1 p.m., the turnout was 15.63 percent, which lags behind the 27 percent turnout in the 2008 presidential election, Kelley said.
More than 100,000 voters cast ballots today, Kelley said, adding Orange County’s pace was running about the same as elsewhere in the state.
“That’s kind of typical statewide,” Kelley said of the 50 to 60 percent rate throughout California, compared with 2008.
Vote by mail participation, however, was higher than four years ago, Kelley said.
“Today, we had 22,000 returned,” Kelley said.
Four years ago, about 550,000 absentee ballots were requested, but this time Kelley’s office responded to 794,000 requests for vote-by-mail ballots.
That amounts of half of the registered voters in Orange County, Kelley said.
There haven’t been any major issues at the polls, Kelley said.
There are clearly more important immediate things for the California Black community to worry about—the level of involvement of the L.A. Sheriff’s Department in the kidnap, murder and possible rape of Mitrice Richardson; electing Danny Tabor and finally ending the seemingly endless mayoral election process in Inglewood; and getting the votes finally counted between Harris and Cooley, for example.
Nevertheless, as evolving political analysts, it is important for us to keep up with the whole process, from federal to water district level.
Although some of us may still be smarting that our Age of Aquarius proposal did not get approved (Prop. 19) this time, there were two really important political issues decided on last Tuesday’s ballot that will have major impacts on the future of Black political participation in California.
So the small number of California Black farmers (300 out of 94, 000) will not see any significant increase because of a newly legalized and profitable crop in 2010.
The election night results brought forth a much expected outcome, a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives and some “slippage” in Democrat seats held in the Senate. The reasons were several for the outcome, but it is not the end of the world. The Democrats (and everybody else) need to stop their snivelin’.
Wipe your nose and move on with the outcome. What happened is a combination of historical politics, race realities, fear-mongering and voter suppression.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel faced off tonight in their first debate of the mayoral runoff campaign, with each seeking to take unique stances on topics ranging from improving the quality of education to fixing city streets.
The pair butted heads a few times during the debate at American Jewish University in Bel Air and broadcast live by KABC-TV Channel 7, but in the end each echoed the other on most issues.
We’re getting down to the wire in this year’s race for the White House. In our digital world of sometimes dizzying 24/7 information overload, both political camps are relying heavily on media in its plethora of forms to reach you and influence your vote. As we draw closer to Nov. 6, you are correct if you think the intensity of the political ads has increased.
