Survey Finds No Major Problems for L.A. Voters During Recall Election
City News Service
October 24, 2003
While Los Angeles voters experienced no major problems during the Oct. 7 recall election, 10 percent of surveyed polling places had some malfunctioning voting equipment, a study released today found.
The Loyola Marymount University study, "Precinct Quality and Voter Turnout: Race, Income and Civic Participation," also found that the entrances to 18 percent of surveyed polling places were inaccessible to disabled voters, that many people encountered limited parking and poor signage, and that there were far fewer polling places than during previous elections.
"Lowering potential barriers to voting is critical to the practice of democracy in diverse urban areas such as Los Angeles," said Mara Marks, associate director of Loyola's Center for the Study of Los Angeles. "We need to answer some key questions if we are to create a fair and equal voting environment."
The study was conducted at 400 polling places by 50 researchers on election day.
"During the Oct. 7 recall election, higher turnout combined with precinct consolidations added up to heavy demand at polling locations," Marks said. "On average there was one polling place per 1,179 voters, a sharp drop from the one polling place per 357 voters in the 2002 presidential election.
"Although there were many fewer locations at which to vote, the polling locations tended to be of higher quality than those used during the citywide elections last March in L.A. County," Marks said.
However, the survey also found that 10 percent of polling places had some malfunctioning voting equipment when a researcher visited, leaving even fewer voting machines available.
The study is part of ongoing research by the Center for the Study of Los Angeles to examine how the quality of polling places varies across the city and how the quality of polling places impacts voter turnout in different neighborhoods.
Among the report's findings:
-- 20 percent of surveyed voters said polling locations were "somewhat" or "very" difficult to find;
-- 26 percent of voter information packets did not list the polling place clearly;
-- 42 percent of polling places lacked adequate parking;
-- Polling places in predominately white and higher-income areas were more likely to have 10 or more voting machines than polling places in more minority and low-income areas;
-- When researchers asked poll workers, "If I live in this neighborhood, what form of ID do I need to vote here when I check in?" 30 percent of poll workers mistakenly said that some form of ID would be required. Poll workers in predominately white areas were less likely to say ID was required.