Los Angeles held an election Tuesday and lots of people didn't bother showing up. One city leader called the initial turnout figure, just over 16%, "awful" and "embarrassing." The latest demonstration of electorate disengagement renewed discussions about rescheduling L.A.'s elections to coincide with higher-profile state or national races.

The total voter participation won't be known until large numbers of mail-in and provisional ballots are counted. According to a Times analysis, that could drive final turnout for the election close to 20%, potentially changing the outcome of some City Council races.

While striking, it is not an unprecedented low turnout for the first round in a Los Angeles municipal election. Four years ago, 17.9% of the city's 1.6 million registered voters cast ballots. Mayor Tom Bradley's last reelection bid, in 1989, drew only 23% of eligible voters.

Read more at LA Times