Scenes from the March 2015 election
Citizens -- some of them, anyway -- voted in city council and school board elections in Los Angeles and 15 other municipalities in the area. Read on to see how election day progressed.
As the voting day wraps up
The polls close at 8 p.m., but we'll have coverage and results for you as election night continues on our local politics page.
Don't let parking trouble stop you
::
At the Castle Argyle Apartments in Hollywood, poll worker Diz McNally said she was worried that people would stay away if they found parking challenging. So she stood on the street offering to watch voters' cars while they went in to do their civic duty.
"I just wish a lot of people voted," said McNally, who had her long nails done with special sparkles for the occasion. "I don't care who you vote for. Show up. Dress up. Meet somebody. You never know, there might be a cute guy, a cute girl you meet. Just come."
A polling paradise
'Abysmal' turnout in DTLA
Once upon a time ...
Why aren't people voting?
This morning, Ed Coghlan voted and then grabbed a coffee -- and only one of those activities had a line out the door.
Coghlan is with California Forward, a group that focuses on good government proposals. While Californians have embraced some reforms, like having an independent commission redraw political boundaries and changing the way voters selected candidates in the primary, those changes haven't yet led to increased voter turnout, Coghlan said.
He attributes low turnout to a disconnect between the work of elected officials and voters' everyday lives.
“Folks think the game is rigged. Do elected officials really serve their interests or are they serving the public interest?” he said.
-- Alice Walton
These people voted -- have you?
A dedicated voter in Hollywood
Nita Lelyveld / Los Angeles Times
Not everyone is voting today, but Lillian Little, 94, did -- even though it wasn't easy for her.
She's blind. She uses a walker to get around. But Little, who has lived in Hollywood since 1959 and who is old enough to have voted for Franklin Roosevelt, said she has never missed an election.
"Never! I am a good citizen," she said. And as for those who don't vote, she added: "I'd like to hit them over the head because they are useless and not good citizens. This is what makes a good citizen -- not hopping up and down and yelling and hollering and all that horse manure."
Candidates head to the polls
L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar and former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina are both running for the District 14 seat.
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times
City Councilman Jose Huizar and his wife, Richelle, walk out after casting their votes at Sheridan Street School in Los Angeles.
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times
City Council candidate Gloria Molina casts her ballot at Sierra Vista Elementary School in El Sereno.
Where'd the money come from?
Here's a look at contributions to the campaigns for seven Los Angeles City Council seats. These totals include donations given directly to candidates as well as money from independent backers who can raise and spend unlimited sums.
Tracking the money in L.A. City Council races
Los Angeles Times
'Tell your friends to come and vote!'
At a polling place near MacArthur Park, only 10 people had shown up to vote by 9:30 a.m., poll workers said.
One poll worker at the Frida Kahlo Theater on West 4th Street, who did not give his name because he said he was not authorized to speak to the media, said there appeared to be many fewer people voting this year compared to the November 2014 state election.
"There were more items on the ballot last year," he said. "Tell your friends to come and vote!"
Election endorsements from The Times
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
Should the city and the Los Angeles Unified School District, in an effort to increase voter participation, move their elections from March and May of odd-numbered years to June and November of even-numbered years to coincide with gubernatorial and presidential elections?
The Times' editorial board says yes.
To read our endorsements for all of today's races, click here .
At Sierra Vista Elementary School
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times
What would Charter Amendnents 1 & 2 do?
Charter Amendments 1 and 2 were put on the March 3 ballot by the council to reverse a decline in voter participation during the odd-year city and school board elections. On the campaign trail, however, several candidates ¿ some experiencing their first brush with the election process ¿ have begun warning that the date change would have other, less positive, consequences.
--David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes
Polls opened at 7 a.m.
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
Polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday for city council and school board elections in Los Angeles and 15 other municipalities across the region. Polls will remain open until 8 p.m.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
