Politics, government and public life for Southern California
David McNew/Getty Images  Voter turnout in the city's most
recent election was just 23 percent — the lowest for a
competitive mayoral race in Los Angeles.  KPCC has embarked on a
series called Project Citizen, which looks at the rights,
responsibilities, traditions and privileges that come with being
a citizen. Among them is the right to vote. But fewer than
one in four Angelenos voted in the May 21 election for mayor.
That was an all-time low for the city, which is causing
concerned parties to look at how to boost participation in local
government. (Explore L.A. voter turnout in our interactive map.)
Every four years, when it's time to elect a president or
governor, Ben Calderwood is at the polls. The freelance writer
is a consistent voter — except when it comes to the local
ballot.    "They're the only elections that I really don't pay
that much attention to," says Calderwood matter-of-factly,
sitting at the kitchen table in in his West L.A. ap