L.A. Mayoral Runoff Election Had Lowest Voter Turnout in 100 Years | KCET
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L.A. Mayoral Runoff Election Had Lowest Voter Turnout in 100 Years
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Clarissa Wei
Clarissa Wei is a freelance journalist who writes about food systems and minority cultures. She has researched extensively on the topics of Chinese food and sustainable agriculture and is a certified permaculture designer.
It was just as bad as expected. The voter turnout for the Los Angeles' May 21 election was 23.3 percent, the lowest in 100 years for a general election.
Councilman Eric Garcetti was elected mayor with 222,300 votes, which is less than any other non-incumbent mayor elected since the 1930s, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. The numbers also represent just a little over 5 percent of the population of Los Angeles. The low enthusiasm has been blamed on the similarities between the candidates -- both Democrats supported by unions.
The election was also the most expensive Southland election season on record. Independent expenditure committees and candidates in city and LAUSD races racked up almost $54 million in expenses, according to Ethics Commission figures.
The previous record was set in 2001 by James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa. Candidates and outside groups at that time ran up $44.9 million in expenses, and voter turnout during the runoff was 37.67 percent .
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About the Author
Clarissa Wei
Clarissa Wei is a freelance journalist who writes about food systems and minority cultures. She has researched extensively on the topics of Chinese food and sustainable agriculture and is a certified permaculture designer.
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