Voting ballots are counted by the people of the Clerks Office at Long Beach City Hall in Long Beach Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Voting ballots are counted by the people of the Clerks Office at Long Beach City Hall in Long Beach Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

Voting ballots are counted by the people of the Clerks Office at Long Beach City Hall in Long Beach Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Breeze)

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Rutgers Avenue is a sleepy street.

It boasts a row of mid-century houses, manicured lawns and little traffic – a picture of American suburbia.

But on Tuesday, one house on this quiet Lakewood Village street, in Long Beach’s 5th District, stood out from the rest. In the front yard hung an American flag, and nearby was a lawn sign reading, “vote here.”

If it seems an odd scene for a polling place, you’re not alone. The iconography of American polling places typically centers on churches or school cafeterias or community centers – not a family’s home.

But for Long Beach, it’s a perfect symbol of voter apathy: a quiet precinct on a sleepy street – in an election that drew little interest.

Throughout the day, 175 people voted there – about 13 an hour. Counting mail-in ballots, 24 percent of those registered to that precinct punched a ticket.

And that was a good showing for Long Beach. This year, 13 percent of registered voters actually cast a ballot. That’s 7 percent of the city’s overall population, and the lowest turnout for a mayoral primary this century.

But empty polls are nothing new here: for the eighth straight election, fewer than 20 percent of registered voters cast ballots. The abysmal turnout, though, is surprising – and frustrating – for election officials, especially as voting has become easier over the years, with the DMV automatically registering people and Long Beach allowing anyone in the city to vote by mail.

For years, Long Beach officials have been trying to answer the same questions: why don’t residents vote – and how can they change that?

“I don’t know the magic answer,” said City Clerk Monique De La Garza. “It’s frustrating more people aren’t stepping up to the plate and voting.”

THEORIES ABOUND

There are a lot of theories about why folks in Long Beach don’t vote.

One such theory is that headline-grabbing state and national elections devalue local ones, even though city representatives are arguably more important to people’s daily lives.

In November 2016, when Donald Trump beat out Hillary Clinton for the presidency, 63 percent of Long Beach’s residents voted. Five months earlier, in the statewide primary, 40 percent went to the polls.

But in the city’s April primary, 13.5 percent showed up.

“It’s difficult,” said Mayor Robert Garcia, “when you’re asking people to vote three or four times a year.”

Another theory is that voter turnout would be higher if not for societal factors, namely poverty, distracting or preventing people from engaging in elections.

Again, there may be some truth here. About 22 percent of voters in Districts 3 and 5, both generally suburban and middle class, voted. But in Districts 7 and 9, which are both relatively lower-income, 15 and 8 percent showed up, respectively.

“They have other priorities,” De La Garza said. “They are worried about paying the rent, or getting a job, or putting food on the table. They aren’t concerned about elections.”

But perhaps the biggest factor, at least this year, is competition.

Garcia won re-election – in the only citywide race – in a blowout, with 79 percent of the vote; his victory was so assured, he knew he could prepare a victory speech before the polls even opened on Tuesday morning.

And that District 9 race? Councilman Rex Richardson one-upped Garcia, gaining 80 percent of the vote. It also possibly tamped down turnout when his opponent, Mineo Gonzalez, briefly bowed out after two fake websites popped up in January saying he had conceded the race.

But that doesn’t explain everything. District 9, for example, has consistently had one of the lowest turnouts in the city.

“It didn’t make an impact at all,” Gonzalez said, referring to the fake websites. “I would have been happy if 5,000 people turned out to vote and only 1,000 voted for me. But people don’t think their vote matters.”

Then there is the 2014 primary. It was one of the most competitive in recent memory. There were 10 challengers for mayor. Garcia, who came in first and would ultimately beat Damon Dunn in a runoff, received one-quarter of the votes. The fourth place finisher, Gerrie Schipske, was less than 10 percentage points behind the eventual mayor.

Yet, 17.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

The low turnout is made even more curious, officials said, by how easy voting is.

CURIOUS CONTRADICTION

“People are lazy,” said Chris Lubner, a 20-year East Long Beach resident.

Lubner and his wife showed up at the house on Rutgers Avenue about an hour before polls closed; they typically vote by mail, but this election they forgot to send their ballots in on time and had to go to the polls instead.

“We vote by mail because it’s more convenient,” Lubner said. “It’s just this election snuck up on us.”

The Lubners are not alone in preferring mail-in ballots. This year, 69 percent of all voters did so by mail-in. In 2002, 42 percent of voters cast ballots by mail and that percentage has increased each mayoral election since.

But, De La Garza said, people are only marginally better at returning their mail-in ballots than at going to the polls.

The City Clerk’s Office sent out 118,500 vote-by-mail ballots this year, De La Garza said. Only 24,221 came back – and typically, less than 50 percent of ballots are returned each election.

“You would think the easier it is, the more people would vote,” the clerk said. “But what we receive back isn’t as high as I would like it to be.”

Not everyone, though, thinks mail-ins are easy.

“I don’t spend a lot of time on it ahead of the election,” said District 5 voter Wendy Williams, who said she wasn’t going to vote but did so because the precinct was around the corner when she went for dinner. “So it’s more convenient for me to show up.”

It seems possible, then, that apathy is the greatest problem.

“If I had the answer,” De La Garza said, “I could solve it.”

HELP IS ON THE WAY

After the polls closed Tuesday night, employees in the City Clerk’s Office counted the votes in Council Chambers. As the returns came in, they became increasingly consternated.

They knew turnout would be low – again.

“They were frustrated,” De La Garza said.

The office had spent months pushing for voters to show up. Posters throughout the city showed people with ballots and the slogan, “Long Beach Turns Out.” There were hats and t-shirts that read, “I voted.”

In September, on National Voter Registration Day, the De La Garza and her team set up a booth at Long Beach City College.

“We have a lot more work to do,” De La Garza said. “We have to figure out how to reach people and get them engaged.”

Help may be on the way. Tuesday was the last time the city will hold its own election. Because of a new state law, they will have to consolidate their elections with Los Angeles County and hold them on a statewide primary or general election.

“If you want a vision of the future, look at the city’s first consolidated election,” Garcia said, about the June and November 2016 elections. “That’s what we have to look forward to.”

A test-case will come up quickly. In June, the races for Districts 5 and 7 will go to a runoff. The election will be run by the county and will coincide with the statewide primary for governor.

De La Garza thinks it will help. So does Garcia. Gonzalez isn’t convinced – but Lubner is.

That house on Rutgers Avenue, where Lubner strolled in-and-out in five minutes, could help illustrate the future of Long Beach voting. Will it remain a picture of sleepy suburbia – or a blurry snapshot of democracy in action?

If you want an answer, it’s the house with an American flag and a sign that reads, “Vote here.”