Shortly earlier than Tuesday’s election, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber touted new numbers exhibiting report voter registration.
About 22 million registered voters, or about 82% of these eligible to vote, was the very best heading right into a gubernatorial main in 68 years, she stated.
However getting folks to register is simply step one. Getting them to the polls is way more difficult, as Tuesday’s election exhibits.
As soon as all of the ballots are obtained and counted, this election will in all probability turn into the second-worst exhibiting — 2014 was the worst — for a gubernatorial main since 1918, the primary yr for which state turnout knowledge is reported.
The paltry voter turnout presents a critical problem for our electoral system. At a time when our democracy is underneath assault nationally, we should discover methods to guard it regionally.
As we careworn repeatedly, this was an election not solely to decide on representatives for statewide workplace but in addition to select leaders for our native governments. That was particularly so within the East and South Bay.
Native elections are usually decrease profile, however extremely vital for choosing individuals who will form key points going through our day by day lives similar to housing, homelessness, public security, legal justice, transportation, avenue circumstances, well being companies, water and libraries.
Estimates are that when all of the ballots are obtained and counted, the state would possibly — would possibly — attain 6 million voters who bothered to forged ballots. Put in perspective, that might be solely 22% of adults eligible to vote and 27% of those that had been registered.
Give it some thought. Lower than one in 4 voting-age adults cares sufficient to take part in selections affecting their state and native governments. Weber in all probability received’t be touting these numbers. However bettering voter turnout should start with admitting the magnitude of the issue.
There are lots of causes provided: The distractions of day by day work lives, the dearth this yr of a aggressive contest for governor, the choice to maneuver statewide poll measures to November elections, the shift of most native metropolis council races to November, the disgust with divisive politics.
However, as we noticed right here within the Bay Space, there remained a protracted listing of vital native elections on Tuesday’s main poll similar to mayor and council members in San Jose, and sheriff and district legal professional elections in Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
Within the three counties, there have been an distinctive variety of seats with no incumbents or with incumbents going through critical challenges for the primary time in years, if ever. If there's a crumb of excellent information in all this, it’s that turnout in at the very least Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, maybe about 27% of these eligible, can be barely higher than statewide.
That’s nonetheless unacceptably low. It’s time for us to rethink how we conduct our elections in California.
Some particular pursuits proceed to push for shifting much more races onto November ballots and particularly November of presidential election years. (The obvious success of the San Jose measure on Tuesday’s poll to maneuver the mayoral election is an instance.) Which may improve turnout in these races, however it will additional depress voting in main elections — and wouldn't result in a more-informed voters.
As it's, the November ballots are dauntingly lengthy. It’s inconceivable for voters to pay sufficient consideration to every race. It’s additionally difficult for us within the media to supply helpful data on every. The outcome: Particular pursuits maintain extra sway over the outcomes with marketing campaign promoting and slate playing cards. And candidates, in flip, grow to be extra beholden to these pursuits.
Others will level to the low turnout as cause to criticize California’s shift to mail balloting. That, too, is misguided. If something, the transfer to mail balloting has prevented turnout from plunging even additional. We have to make it simpler to vote; we don’t want the lengthy traces which have grow to be reminders of election failures in different states.
The solutions are usually not easy or apparent. However they begin with election officers, and the media, frequently reinforcing the significance of not solely our statewide but in addition our native elections. As former U.S. Home Speaker Tip O’Neill appreciated to say, “All politics is native.”
We have to preserve reminding California voters of that.