Officials look to recruit voters for election

Burbank has launched a series of outreach efforts in an attempt to increase voter turnout by roughly 4% for the upcoming municipal election, officials said.

Since the close of registration for the presidential election, Burbank has recruited roughly 350 new voters, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder.

City officials are hoping to beat the 15% voter turnout of the 2011 election — in which 8,106 out of 56,239 registered voters participated in the primary and 8,866 voted in the general election, said Interim City Clerk Zizette Mullins.

The city currently boasts 61,167 registered voters, according to the county registrar-recorder.

If a resident has moved — even within Burbank — during the last two years, they need to re-register to be eligible to vote, Mullins said. Monday is the last day to register to participate in the mail-in-only Feb. 26 primary.

Some of Burbank’s outreach efforts are targeting ethnic communities and young voters, Mullins said. Officials have translated informational fliers into Spanish, Armenian and Korean, and have launched Twitter and Facebook pages to reach out to younger voters.

“The more there’s a fever going on in the community, the more there’s interest to participate to vote,” Mullins said.

Additionally, the city has plastered posters, yard signs and banners throughout Burbank encouraging residents to participate, and officials have hosted workshops on the election process.

To watch statements from the candidates vying for City Council, city clerk and the school board, visit the Burbank Channel at www.burbankca.gov.

To register to vote, visit www.LAVote.net.

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