Silenced City: Over 80% of Compton Voters Stayed Home in 2024 Election

📣 Statement from the Citizens' Coalition for Change:

With this blog post, we are sharing our concerns regarding recent criticism aimed at the City Council’s decision to ban fireworks sales.

Some residents and local leaders have called the decision “undemocratic” and argued that such an issue should be left to a public vote. Let’s set the record straight:

🔹 First, the City Charter clearly grants the City Council the authority to legislate on matters such as public safety—including fireworks—without requiring a ballot measure. Councilmembers are elected to represent the will and wellbeing of their constituents.

🔹 Second, those calling for a public vote must contend with a harsh reality: only 18% of registered voters in Compton participated in the most recent election. If this issue were put on the ballot, and even a slim majority of those 18% voted one way or the other, just 5% of our city’s population would end up deciding policy for the other 95%.

This is not democracy!

—it’s disenfranchisement by disengagement.

Low voter turnout has consequences. It skews the balance of power and undermines the integrity of collective decision-making. While civic participation is a right, it is also a responsibility. Until we address this crisis of engagement, we must support our elected officials in making the decisions they were empowered—and entrusted—to make.

Let’s focus our energy on encouraging greater voter turnout, not undermining the few functioning democratic mechanisms we still have.

— Citizens' Coalition for Change

Low Turnout Threatens Local Democracy as Thousands Forfeit Their Voice in Compton’s Future

In the November 5, 2024 General Election, the City of Compton experienced notably low voter participation. 

For instance ...

In the City Council District 1 race, only 2,219 votes were cast,

in the City Council District 4 race, only 1,807 votes were cast,

in the City Clerk  race, only 7,606 votes were cast,

Measure CA received only 7,461 votes.

Considering that Compton has a population of approximately 96,102 residents, and 47.2% of the residents are registered voters, there are about 45,379 registered total voters in the city.  

This means that in the city wide "City Clerk" race, only about 16.8% of registered voters participated, and in the Measure CA vote, participation was around 16.4%.

These figures indicate that over 83% of registered voters in Compton did not cast their ballots in these key local elections. 

Such a low turnout below 17% underscores the importance of civic engagement and the need for increased voter participation to ensure that the city's leadership reflects the will of its residents.

This isn’t just unfortunate—it’s a civic collapse. When fewer than 1 in 5 people show up to vote, it doesn’t just signal apathy; it screams dysfunction. It suggests that either residents don’t understand the power they hold, don’t believe in it, or worse—don’t care. And that’s not just sad. It’s dangerous. Because when the majority goes silent, a tiny minority decides everything—from who controls city resources to what kind of future our children inherit.

If people can rally for shoes, concerts, or fast food openings—but not for their own leadership—then something is deeply broken in the soul of the city.