Low turnout in primary

California’s political outlook changed significantly after the first open primary, leaving for November, for example, races pitting candidates from the same party against each other.

The election last Tuesday also had good results as far as Latino representation among elected officials. The overwhelming victory of Robert García, who will become the first Latino mayor of Long Beach, is the best example of this political progress. Hilda Solís, on the other hand, as expected, had not trouble becoming the District 1 representative on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

At the state level, Senator Alex Padilla has a good chance of becoming the first Latino in a long time to win statewide office, if in November he repeats his victory in the secretary of state race. Meanwhile, it is still unknown whether Assemblyman John Pérez will go to the runoff in the race for state controller.

In a positive nod for the Republican Party, during the primary, Neel Kashkari won against the ultraconservative and anti-immigrant rhetoric of Assemblyman Tim Donnelly. However, it is almost impossible for Kashkari to beat Governor Jerry Brown in November.

The negative part of the primary was a new low record for voter turnout, which was below 20% statewide and an embarrassing 13% for Los Angeles. This is another wakeup call against voter apathy, disinterest and lack of concern, and their impact. For example, Paul Tanaka, the controversial former undersheriff, is headed to the runoff with just a bit more than 79,000 votes—in a universe of over 4,800,000 registered voters.

The balance of the primary election in general is positive, making some of the races in November more competitive. Nevertheless, the changes are not worth much if voters, who are the essence of democracy, abstain from participating.