Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
USC Campus had the Lowest Amount of Voters in Tuesday's Election
Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos
()
Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos
Tuesday's special election for a vacant state senate seat churned out a mere 6% of registered voters in a district ranging from Silver Lake and Hollywood to South LA and the Westside. Out of nearly 400,000 registered voters, only about 24,000 hit the polls or voted by mail. An LAist analysis of turnout in individual precincts showed that students in USC's dorms had the least interest. 1451 people are registered with an address on campus--bound by Jefferson, Figueroa, Vermont and Exposition--but only four people voted. One of those votes was by mail. That's a 0.2% turnout, the lowest out of all 349 precincts in the district.
This comes as the most focused news attention drawn to the candidates was by the school's own journalism department on NeonTommy.com. Additionally, one of the other only in depth coverage sources for the election was on a bicycle blog that solicited and posted statements from candidates on bike issues. The campus is one of the notable bicycle dense neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Immediately north of campus in North University Park neighborhood, two precincts with USC housing showed a little more participation, albeit still low. One had 3.4% turnout (42 out of 1222 registered voters) and the other had 1.6% (22 of 1380 registered voters), the fourth lowest in all of the district.
Support for LAist comes from
Interestingly enough, the precinct with the highest percentage of participating voters was near campus in a single family home neighborhood where mostly full-time residents live. The small few block-sized precinct bound by Adams and Hoover to the southeast had a nearly 30% turnout, or 41 out of 137 registered voters.
Rounding out the top three neighborhoods with the best turnout were precincts in western Culver City (23%) and in the Baldwin Hills Estates neighborhood of Los Angeles (17%).
Back on campus at USC, two of the votes were split for Democrats Curren Price and Mervin Leon Evans. But the campus winner with 50% of the vote was Republican Nachum Shifren, a Rabbi and surfer.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Heavy rain is expected to fall in the L.A. area between tonight and Thursday. So take your poncho if you're headed to Dodger Stadium. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings.
-
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning.
-
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
-
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding.
-
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist