Amendments 1 and 2 could change local election years

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles voters heading to the polls Tuesday have a chance to change the dates of city and school board elections.

Charter amendments 1 and 2 would change when Los Angeles votes elect city council and school board members.

Starting in 2020, the races would go on the presidential ballot and in 2022 the mayor and citywide races would appear on the governor's ballot.

Supporters said a yes vote would boost voter turnout. Dan Schnur is the director of USC's Institute of Politics.

"Four years ago, the last time we had local elections here in Los Angeles without a mayor's race, only 17 percent of Angelenos turned out to vote," he said.

Schnur is in favor of the amendments. He points out the low voter turnout of 23 percent in the 2013 mayoral race compared to a presidential campaign, where three-quarters of Los Angeles residents head out vote, as his reasoning for the city to change the election cycles.

"They know the June and November of even numbered years are when an election takes place. By contrast, most of the people of Los Angeles don't even know there's an election in March of an odd-numbered year," he said.

But opponents said holding local elections in odd-number years keeps the focus on local issues and that changing the system may not benefit the city.

"It's going to put L.A. elections at the bottom of the ballot and it's going to make it so when you got vote L.A. is the last thing you're thinking about," said Ross Sarkissian, 4th District candidate for the Los Angeles City Council.

City Councilman Bernard Parks, who is also an opponent, said the Yes Campaign is backed by special interest.

"No one in the community asked for this. This is a generated process by elected officials," he said.

The amendments need a simple majority to pass. If they do, candidates elected in 2015 and 2017 will serve a longer term in order to catch up to the new election cycle.