Angelenos’ abysmal voter turnout has become somewhat of a running joke, so perhaps it’s with some irony that two charter amendments in the upcoming election hope to change that.
Charter Amendments 1 & 2 would sync L.A.'s election dates with state and federal elections. Supporters say this will increase participation, while they admit it’s still only a bandaid for a much larger underlying problem of political disengagement. But opponents argue the charter amendments are not even likely to fulfill higher turnout in every city election.
Guests:
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School; he’s a supporter of Charter Amendments 1 & 2
Hans Johnson, Spokesperson, Save Our City Elections, a group that opposes Charter Amendments 1 & 2
Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School and vice president of the L.A. Ethics Commission