Who Stole My Polling Place?

I Found Out on Election Day That My Rural L.A. County Precinct Had Gone Vote-By-Mail

Out of all the election-related direct mailers I’ve received these past few months none was more crucial than the one that arrived the afternoon of election day: June 3. A flier from the Los Angeles County Registrar informed me that my precinct no longer offered a place to vote in person. I’m now in a vote-by-mail precinct, and if I want to vote, I must mail a ballot in.

It would have been helpful to learn this information earlier—at least before I tried to vote election day morning. No location was …

by Ashley Trim | June 29, 2014

Make Your City Council Meetings Feel Like a Starbucks

If You Want Folks to Show Up, Gather Some Comfy Chairs, Serve Coffee, Maybe Even Pour Drinks

by Joe Mathews | January 16, 2014

Would your community be better off if your city council met at the local Starbucks?

The answer is almost certainly yes. Compared to people in other states, few Californians talk to …

The Right Way to Reschedule L.A.’s Elections

Los Angeles Needs Higher Voter Turnout, But Some Reform Ideas Have Holes

by Howard Cohen | December 4, 2013

Until a change in the city charter 20 years ago, voters in some parts of Los Angeles were able to take stubs from their ballot, present them to local independent …

How the Heck Do You Get Angelenos Into the Streets (and Maybe Even to the Polls)?

L.A. Is a Famously Disengaged City. Here's How We Can Do Better.

December 3, 2013

Low voter turnout has become as much a part of Los Angeles as the Dodgers and sunshine. Eric Garcetti was elected mayor this year with the votes of only 222,300 …

Donna Bojarsky

The L.A. Macher Who Wants To Create Some Non-Deadbeat Civic Elites

by Sarah Rothbard | November 7, 2013

I’m late meeting Donna Bojarsky for lunch at Ray’s and Stark Bar, the restaurant in the courtyard of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She’s waiting for me—until she’s …

Did Democracy Bankrupt Our Cities?

Maybe Not. But If We Want To Prevent the Crises of San Bernardino and Stockton and Detroit, Self-Government Will Need Some Tune-Ups.

by Pete Peterson | September 11, 2013

In a recent bracing post titled “Detroit’s Death by Democracy,” George Will located the root of that city’s problems not in its lack of economic diversification but in our very …

civic engagement

Who Stole My Polling Place?

I Found Out on Election Day That My Rural L.A. County Precinct Had Gone Vote-By-Mail

Make Your City Council Meetings Feel Like a Starbucks

If You Want Folks to Show Up, Gather Some Comfy Chairs, Serve Coffee, Maybe Even Pour Drinks

The Right Way to Reschedule L.A.’s Elections

Los Angeles Needs Higher Voter Turnout, But Some Reform Ideas Have Holes

How the Heck Do You Get Angelenos Into the Streets (and Maybe Even to the Polls)?

L.A. Is a Famously Disengaged City. Here's How We Can Do Better.

Donna Bojarsky

The L.A. Macher Who Wants To Create Some Non-Deadbeat Civic Elites

Did Democracy Bankrupt Our Cities?

Maybe Not. But If We Want To Prevent the Crises of San Bernardino and Stockton and Detroit, Self-Government Will Need Some Tune-Ups.

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Are California Elections a Triumph of Democracy—or a Defeat?

The Golden State Keeps Making It Easier to Vote, and Harder to Understand What to Vote For

Let’s Put Voting Machines in In-N-Out Burger

L.A. Voter Turnout Is So Dismal We've Got Nothing to Lose

How I Help My Mississippi Neighbors Vote

A Transplanted Californian Finds Himself on the Front Lines of Democracy—Part-Time

Here Are Two Voting Reforms That Could Counter America’s Hyperpolarization

When Used Together, ‘Ranked Choice’ and ‘Top Two’ Elections Would Strengthen Major Parties and Favor Moderate Politicians

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