Will voter apathy reign again in Compton?

The March 5 election will say a lot about the direction the city of Compton is headed. If residents of Compton want change from the status quo they need to vote. It’s that simple. There is no magic wand to be waved. There are no tricks hiding out under anyone’s sleeve.

To beat back voter apathy is to take part in the most fundamental right afforded to all Americans. Somehow, this message has been lost on the residents of Compton. If past election cycles are an accurate gauge that doesn’t bode well for the city or those attempting to run for political office.

Or maybe it does.

There are many factors that go into voter apathy. Whatever the case may be, including who’s running City Hall, fixing this problem takes a step for residents to either show up at a polling place or vote by mail.

Complaints from residents about potholes needing to be filled, upgrades in infrastructure, the persistent presence of crime, and other City ails, might change if enough people in Compton show up at election time to vote.

The last election cycle illustrates a vacuum of those who voted and those who did not. According to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk’s Office, Compton had 48,387 residents eligible to vote during the June 2021 citywide election.

Only 8,701 citizens went to the polls or voted in that election. That would equate to nearly 18 percent (17.98 %) of people eligible to vote who took part in a process freely given to all Americans. Those numbers also represent 39,686 eligible voters who did not take part in this Democratic process.

This is the same election in which Emma Sharif edged Christian Reynaga for mayor, District 3 Councilman Jonathan Bowers beat out Tana L. McCoy, and District 2 Councilman Andre Spicer, with the help of the courts, got the better of the disgraced Isaac Galvan.

The fate of the March 5 election hinges on several factors. According to a 2022 report produced by the U.S. Census, Compton has 91,988 residents. Of this population, 29 percent of people living in the city are foreign-born.

Seventy-one (71%) percent of the city’s population is Hispanic with Black Americans making up 25 percent of Compton residents.

Whites now make up 18 percent of the city’s population. Change only happens when you participate or engage in the process to bring about making a difference. On the voter rolls in 2017, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office put the number of eligible voters in the city at 44,867.

A deeper dive into voter apathy in the city, the 2022 general election for the Compton Unified School District Area A seat is also a reflection of this issue. Denzell Perry, who now serves as president of Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees, was elected to office with only 750 votes, according to Ballotpedia.

What’s at stake for Compton residents now are the races for District 1 and District 4 representation and City Clerk. There are also a couple of Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees seats up for grabs as well.  It’s another big-time election and another opportunity for Compton residents to dismiss voter apathy claims.