In what is likely little surprise to residents of the Democratic stronghold, most voters in Burbank cast ballots for President-elect Joseph Biden, though local supporters of President Donald Trump also came out in greater numbers than in 2016.
A ballot breakdown for Los Angeles County that was released this week after results were certified showed that out of the 58,220 Burbank voters who cast a ballot for president, 39,375, or 67.6%, went with Biden. Another 30.3% — 17,672 people — voted for Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
For comparison, in 2016, 30,835 (66.5%) Burbank voters cast their ballot for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, while 12,718 (27.4%) voted for Trump.
Of the 71,802 Burbank residents who registered to vote for the General Election, more than 59,200 cast ballots — an 82.5% turnout rate that was higher than L.A. County’s 76%.
The 2016 election had a 74.6% turnout for registered Burbank voters, while the primary election in March 2020 drew 48.7% of them — and most local Democrats and independents voted for Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee.
Burbank municipal elections sometimes have seen less than a 20% turnout rate in years that did not coincide with presidential elections. After California Senate Bill 415 went into effect in 2018, however, Burbank and other cities with low turnout rates were required to hold their elections on the same day as statewide elections.
Nearly 79% of the almost 4.34 million ballots received by the county were mail-in votes. The county Board of Supervisors voted earlier this year to send a mail ballot to every registered voter in its jurisdiction, a resource that Gov. Gavin Newsom applied to all California voters as Election Day neared.
VOTERS SPLIT ON MEASURES
On the legislative front, local voters were most supportive of California Propositions 15, 17 and 24, with each of the measures receiving more than 30,000 affirmative votes each from residents. The propositions were also favored across the county.
Of those, only Propositions 17 and 24, which restore the right to vote for those who complete their prison terms and add provisions to data privacy law, respectively, passed statewide. Proposition 15, which would have increased property taxes for some owners and diverted the funds to schools and local governments, was voted down by most California voters.
Burbank voters also generally approved of L.A. County Measure J, which mandates that 10% of the county’s unrestricted general fund be dedicated to alternatives to incarceration; state Proposition 18, which would have allowed some 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election; and Proposition 22, which allows app-based transportation and delivery companies to classify their workers as independent contractors.
Of those measures, only Proposition 18 was not passed by California voters.
Other propositions were more contentious locally. Burbank voters approved of Proposition 21, which would have allowed local governments to implement rent control on a broader range of properties, by a margin of a little more than 500 votes. The proposition was voted down statewide.
Unlike most L.A. County voters, who generally favored the proposed measure, 52% of Burbank ballots voted “No” on Proposition 16, which would have effectively repealed a statewide ban on affirmative action in employment and education. The proposition was soundly turned down by California voters.
