Three out of four West Hollywood residents are registered to vote, 62% of them as Democrats. That’s according to a new analysis of registration and election data by WeHo by the Numbers.
The analysis estimates that 87% of residents are eligible to vote. That means there are about 32,000 potential voters. The remaining residents are minors or not US citizens.
Five out of six eligible voters have registered. There are 26,000 registered voters — 72% of residents. An estimated 15% of residents are eligible but have not registered.
Almost four out of five registered voters turned out for the 2012 presidential/general election. Based on this fact, the analysis estimates that 56% of residents (roughly 20,000) are actual voters.The estimate would have been slightly higher if it had been based on the 2008 general election. That year, almost nine out of 10 registered West Hollywood voters turned out.
There are fewer voters in years without a presidential election. For example, only one-third of the city’s registered voters turned out for the 2014 general election.
For West Hollywood City Council elections, turnout is typically around one in five registered voters. That means 5,000 or so residents – 14% of the population — are the actual voters in local elections.
According to the analysis, 62% of West Hollywood’s registered voters have picked the Democratic Party as their party preference. Nine percent have selected the Republican Party, and 24% have no party preference, which is often called “independent.” The remainder picked other parties.
The analysis ranks California’s 482 cities and towns based on the spread between Democratic and Republican registration. By this measure, West Hollywood is in the 95th percentile among predominately Democratic cities. The share of Democratic voters is higher in West Hollywood than in any nearby city. It is 10 points above the Los Angeles County average of 52%.
For the full analysis and comparisons to other California cities, please see the WeHo by the Numbers article, How many West Hollywood voters are there by party?
When you figure that about 45% of the City’s residents don’t plan to live here more than three to five years, you can’t really expect them to get involved and vote in municipal elections. If you are not planning on making West Hollywood home, rather than get involved in resolving issues, people just move. That is human nature. The problem that is evolving is that as long term tenants, the original beneficiaries of the City’s incorporation back in 1984, have faded and the City is not encouraging home ownership in new developments, we will continue to see a shrinking turn… Read more »
When I vote I feel healthy and complete. IMO, in this nation of plenty, apathetic citizens who skip elections are akin to being spoiled, lazy and unhealthy helpless brats. When I fulfill my least demanding commitment to our democracy it feels like I just enjoyed a healthy salad after a hike at Runyon – not really much effort needed but man is it good for you and really everyone else.
The electorate is clearly apathetic. We get the representation we deserve.