Voter Turnout For L.A. Mayoral Race Could Be At All-Time Low

The Los Angeles mayoral runoff between Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel is less than a week away and both candidates have ramped up their campaigns for the final stretch. That doesn't mean that many people are listening, however.

As the election date draws nearer, the Los Angeles Times is predicting an extremely low turnout for voting on who the new mayor of Los Angeles will be. Some have even gone as far as to say that this year will have the lowest percentage of registered voters hitting the polls in over 80 years.

"People have lost faith in elected officials," says former City Councilman Edmund Edelman. "They see so many politicians putting ambition and personal need over the public good."

Though many would be inclined to contribute the low turnout to voter laziness, that may not be the case. As some have pointed out, the low numbers at the polls may have as much to do with the politicians as anyone else.

In recent years, voters across America have become far more cynical about the political process. It is status quo to expect politicians to fight for the companies and individuals who supported their campaign, rather than the people they were elected to serve. As it stands, many people believe politicians only act in a way that will benefit future political campaigns.

"You create this cycle where politicians tend to ignore council districts with lower turnout," said Matt Baretto, a political scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle. "When they get into office, regardless of who they are, they just provide less services, so voters feel like - why should I vote?"

Another factor that is hurting voting turnout this year is the fact that Garcetti and Greuel are both represented as more liberal-leaning Democrats. Though they still have jabbed at each other throughout their campaigns, they have also both admitted that they agree on numerous issues facing Los Angeles.

"If they [voters] don't see that there's a real choice to be made there, or they're not really enthusiastic about one of the candidates, that can really have a corrosive effect on turnout," said Michael P. McDonald, a turnout expert and associate professor of political science at George Mason University.