The General Municipal Elections have just wrapped up in the city of Whittier and this year marks a significant increase in voter turnout. The California Voter Participation Rights Act, enacted in 2018, required all state, county, municipal, district and school district elections to be held on an established date. This has been shown to increase voter turnout, as elections are consolidated.
However, in 2020, Redondo Beach sued the state of California, resulting in charter cities being granted exemption from this requirement. In 2021, Whittier city council, being a charter city, voted to hold separate elections, regardless of the decrease in voter participation.
This year, community organization Somos El Voto set out to reach Latino voters and boost the number of voters partaking in this year’s election. Beginning in mid-March, a team of over 20 Whittier locals made over 40,000 contacts through door-to-door canvassing. Luis Coronado, shares, “I’m here canvassing in Whittier, letting people know that their vote is their voice, and it matters. We’re nonpartisan, I’m not telling them who to vote for, but encouraging them to do their own research and participate.”
In addition to making voters aware of the April 14 election, they also provided information on voting locations and shared recent statistics. According to their team, only 1 in 10 residents voted in the last local election, the equivalent of only 11% of voters, with a total of 244 votes determining the District 1 councilmember. Efrain Escobedo, Somos El Voto Board of Directors member, shares,”we hope the community’s voice will ring loud and clear and bring the changes that this community wants.”
On Election Day, the team celebrates their hard work at Michigan Park, one of this year’s voting centers. The teams cheer as they announce the significant increase in mail-in ballots received prior to April 14th. After the votes are tallied, it is announced that the city is welcoming a new mayor and council member for District 2 and 4.
Perhaps the new city council members and mayor will reconsider the city’s choice to opt for an April election date? Somos El Voto canvassers share the mixed response from community members when asked what they prefer. Some share they would like to see elections consolidated, in order to increase participation and “do it all at once”. Others on the other hand prefer it to be spread out throughout the year so local issues, “don’t get lost in the shuffle” amongst the state and federal issues. Either way, this year shows an increase in voter turnout, leading to new representatives.
