Why Californians Don’t Vote

Thanks to California Secretary of State candidate Pete Peterson for linking to my piece "What the What?" re low turnout in elections. 

His post, on Zocalo Public Square, is here. 

--

In the stages of grief, media coverage of California voters’ low turnout in the June primary jumped denial, and headed straight to anger and bargaining.

“Something amazing happened in California on Tuesday: Hardly anyone came out to vote,” read a recent Washington Post piece. “I have three words to describe the primary elections held in California this week: What the what?” began an essay by Jessica Levinson in The Huffington Post.