
The contest is arousing more interest than usual, for two reasons. Eric Garcetti, the current mayor, is term-limited, making this the first open race since he took office in 2013. Second, turnout is expected to balloon. This is not because the candidates inspire particular devotion or ire, says Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. Rather, it is the first time California has mailed ballots to all registered voters—and the first election in more than a century that coincides with statewide races.
Source: The Economist
L.A.’s Mayoral Race May Reveal the Limits of Progressive Politics