Jonathan Collins, Assistant Professor of Education, with Eddie Lucero (University of California, Merced) and Jessica Trounstine (University of California, Merced), delve into the California Voter Participation Rights Act (SB 415) and whether holding local elections concurrently as state elections increases voter turnout, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2015.  

According to State Senator Benjamin Hueso, "as a result of low voter turnout, the voting population often does not look like the general public as a whole and neither does the city council." Using a poll of more than 11,000 California citizens in August/September 2018, Collins, Luero, and Trounstine "ask whether concurrent elections are likely to alter the composition of the electorate."

To read the full study, click here.