"Low voter turnout here hurts all over"
By: Cathleen Decker
Source: LA Times
12/7/14, California section, page AA2
One is given a chance to voice his or her concerns. One rejects the aforementioned right bestowed upon him or her. Such was the case with fifty-eight percent of registered voters in California during the recent November elections. As the official results and statistics have been released, it has been revealed that a mere thirty-one percent of eligible Californians actually partook in the elections.It was especially saddening for this number (thirty-one percent) to be the same for registered Los Angelino voters. The turnout was a disappointing one for the country as a whole. "The nation tumbled to a new low for voting in November, the lowest since 1942, when many had a rather compelling excuse for not showing up at the polls: World War Two" (Decker, AA2). States like Colorado, Alaska, and Maine held an impressive fifty to sixty percent turnout. There were states, on the other hand, who had low numbers similar to California. However, in the case of the "Golden State" the apathy regarding civic engagement leaves an feasible impact, as California boasts a whooping number of registered voters at 17.8 million. The Angelino apathy, according to political scientist Michael McDonald, is assumed to be a result of residents who do not feel deeply connected to where they live and not culturally or socially pressured to vote. "And then there is Los Angeles, suffused with immigrants, the young, renters, students, people on the move literally and figuratively-- those for whom the area is a welcome entry point but not necessarily a life-long or even election-cycle-long residence" (Decker, AA2).
These statistics are truly startling ones. It is crucial that people partake in "politics", demanding the change they wish to see. The low turnout in Los Angeles is particularly disappointing. Contrary to Decker's opinion on the groups that generally inhabit this city, Los Angeles is composed of diversity, a safe unstable haven that provides lasting comfort and stability. Its eclectic groups have plenty to say, especially in the face of recent injustice (including those originating in cities from their own). Voting is an excellent outlet to insert the spark of brilliant minds and mend a somewhat broken city and an aggrieved country.
