Because voting is one’s own choice to participate, and is not mandatory, maybe this explains why people say that each vote really counts!
But to appreciate the numerical value of your vote, we must account for voter attrition, which is the drop off in the number of voters. Only then can you determine the true value (at least numerically) of your vote.
This number begins with all those who are eligible to vote, decreases when taking into account only those who register as a voter, and depreciates even further to those who actually take the final step to commit the public act of casting one’s vote (if not done by absentee ballot).
Here are some numbers to ponder on your way to the polls.
According to California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, as of May 21 of this year 17.1 million fellow Californians registered to vote out of the 23.7 million who are eligible. This 72 percent registration rate lags behind the nearly 74 percent of voters who registered for California’s November 2010 election.
But how many of our fellow Californians actually voted in the 2010 election? According to the numbers from the statewide election on Nov. 2, 2010, there was only a turnout of 59.6 percent of those who registered.
According to the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, LWVLosAngeles.org, the turnout for statewide general elections was highest for the 1940 presidential election at 78.32 percent, while the lowest was for the 1980 state election with 24.8 percent.
Out of the nearly 6 million eligible voters in Los Angeles about 4.4 million registered to vote as of May 21, according to the California Secretary of State’s web site at SOS.Ca.gov. But as far as participation among registered voters in Los Angeles County, only about 2.4 million actually voted (which breaks down to nearly 1.7 million precinct voters and roughly 679,000 who voted by mail).
According to the League, the number of registered voters in Los Angeles County has increased from about 3.5 million in 1990 to 4.4 million in 2010. However, this same period also shows that the percentage of voters actually voting, turning out for the elections, has decreased from approximately 60 percent to below 40 percent.
Now, better than numbers that depreciate, here is a list of important dates for local voters planning to participate in our electoral process. This following calendar information is made available through the County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk through its web site, LAVote.net.
Monday, Oct. 8 through Tuesday, Oct. 30 - Vote by Mail: Applications may be filed between these dates (both dates inclusive).
Monday, Oct. 22 - Registration Closes: Last day to transfer or register to vote in the general election.
Tuesday, Oct. 30 - Polling Places Publicized: Not later than this date, a list of polling places for each precinct shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation within the county.
Wednesday, Oct. 31 through Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Election Day Emergency Vote by Mail: Between these dates any voter may apply for a Vote By Mail ballot if conditions require his or her absence from the precinct on election day. The voter may designate an authorized representative to pick up and return the ballot.
Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Election Day: Polls open 7:00 a.m., and close 8:00 p.m. Also, last day for Vote By Mail ballots to be received or turned in personally by the voter to the county elections official’s office or at any polling place in the county. An authorized representative may return the voted ballot under specified conditions.
For additional voter information, visit the web site for the California Secretary of State at SOS.Ca.gov/elections or the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk site at LAVote.net.
