Calabasas Saw 53.5 Percent Voter Turnout Increase In 2020

CALABASAS, CA —Calabasas saw a 53.5 percent voter turnout increase following a 2015 law mandating that local elections be moved to days of national or state elections if a city's voter turnout was 25 percent or lower than the previous four statewide elections, according to a study released Monday.

The study from nonprofit Common Cause compiled voter registration and turnout data from a number of California cities, and subtracted the average of registered voter turnout in off-cycle elections from the average in on-cycle elections after the switch.

They found that many other California cities experienced similar jumps. Cities that switched to on-cycle elections following the California Voter Participation Rights Act experienced on average a tripling of their voter participation in municipal elections. Average off-cycle registered voter turnout before the switch was 25.54 percent, while average-on cycle registered voter turnout after the switch was 75.81 percent.

2020 was an unusual year: despite the pandemic, 70.8 percent of eligible voters in California turned up at the polls, the highest percentage to participate in a statewide election since 1952, according to an LA Times report.

“This was an election unlike any other in modern American history,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a video posted online in December. “And it would not have been possible without the contributions of elections officials and poll workers alike. Their work maintained the resiliency of our democracy during a global health crisis.”

Common Cause acknowledged the unusual nature of the year, but still advocated cities put local elections on the ballot during other major elections.

"There are other variables that may play a role in voter participation in California elections, including changes in voter registration, laws, competitive races and demographic changes," the report said. "Although other variables could impact voter turnout, the raw data from these 54 cities indicates a dramatic increase in voter turnout in municipal elections when those elections are moved from off-cycle to on-cycle."

Below is a list of turnout changes in other LA County cities:

-- 60.4% in Agoura Hills;
-- 42.2% in Artesia;
-- 46.9% in Baldwin Park;
-- 40.5% in Bell Gardens;
-- 62.7% in Bellflower;
-- 61.8% in Beverly Hills;
-- 64.6% in Burbank;
-- 44.1% in Carson;
-- 55.4% in Claremont;
-- 36.7% in Cudahy;
-- 57.6% in Culver City;
-- 57% in Diamond Bar;
-- 45.3% in El Monte;
-- 43.3% in Hawaiian Gardens;
-- 53.7% in Hawthorne;
-- 46.7% in La Puente;
-- 54.4% in Lawndale;
-- 49.9% in Lomita;
-- 47% in Lynwood;
-- 42.9% in Malibu;
-- 59.1% in Manhattan Beach;
-- 49.3% in Montebello;
-- 61.3% in Palos Verdes Estates;
-- 54.6% in Pico Rivera;
-- 59.6% in Rancho Palos Verdes;
-- 43.6% in Rolling Hills;
-- 47.4% in San Fernando;
-- 57.2% in Santa Clarita;
-- 46.7 in Santa Fe Springs;
-- 59.1% in Signal Hill;
-- 56.3% in South El Monte;
-- 45% in Walnut;
-- 54.9% in West Hollywood; and
-- 58.1% in Westlake Village.

— Patch staffer Michael Wittner and City News Service contributed to this report.