ELECTION CHANGE TO BLAME FOR TURNOUT?

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

A 2002 ballot measure that moved Los Angeles city primary elections from April to March to boost turnout got the blame Wednesday for the record low turnout that occurred a day earlier despite near-record spending by candidates.

About 13 percent of Los Angeles' 1.4 million registered voters cast ballots, more than 1 percentage point below the previous low for a city primary: 14.2 percent in 1987. Turnout has dipped as low as 8.6 percent in noncompetitive city general elections.

The turnout discouraged political observers, advocates of the ballot measure that moved election dates, and former San Fernando Valley secession advocates who hoped for a rebirth of civic activism.

``It doesn't bode well for democracy in Los Angeles,'' said Cindy O'Connor, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the League of Women Voters. ``In L.A. we can't really attribute it to (an excess of) campaign financing because we have a pretty good campaign finance law.''

O'Connor backed the ballot measure last year to move the dates of primary elections from April to March, and runoffs from June to May. The measure, which voters approved, was supposed to increase turnout by eliminating conflicts with the Easter and Passover and school breaks.

Councilman Tom LaBonge suggested looking at a system based almost entirely on mail-in ballots, online voting and ``touch screen'' voting.

``Voter participation is very important,'' LaBonge said. ``If you don't vote, you can't complain. It concerns me that not everybody's engaging, and they should. This will help do that, I think.''

Changes to the city's voting procedure, including weekend voting and a vote-by-mail system, would require voter-approved charter amendments.

Analysts said turnout was depressed by several other factors: Blustery weather and rain; what critics described as ``mean-spiritedness'' of several campaigns; a lack of compelling issues, and the public's focus on international issues with a possible war in Iraq.

More than $5 million was spent in the city races but few captured the public's imagination. In competitive races, the highest turnout occurred in District 14, where former Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa beat incumbent Nick Pacheco in a hard-fought race; the lowest in the Northwest Valley's 12th District, where eight people battled to succeed longtime Councilman Hal Bernson, but only 20 percent of registered voters went to the polls.

The 12th District was the bedrock of last November's Valley secession campaign, where 61 percent of voters voted to break away from Los Angeles.

``People have indicated that they're tired and disgusted and they don't think anything they do is going to change anything,'' said Robert Lamishaw, a former secession candidate who now serves as president of the Valley Group, a civic reform organization.

``My suspicion was that a lot of people who voted for Valley independence were discouraged by the loss and may have stayed home.''