Glendora Stays Loyal to Red in Blue Districts

Despite low voter turnout and newly drawn district lines that put Republican-leaning Glendora in predominantly Democratic districts, Glendora voters continued to stay true to tradition following Tuesday's Primary Election by going red.

Tuesday's primaries recorded dismal numbers with just 17.2 percent of Los Angeles County voters taking to the polls.

The numbers were far less than the last June Primary Election in 2010, which recorded 23.47 percent of registered voters.

In Glendora, the percentage was higher than the county average, but still lower than the last June primary in 2010. The Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office recorded 21.85 percent of Glendora’s 29,880 registered voters casting ballots on Tuesday, down from 30.02 percent in 2010.

Attendance at Glendora polls was light, according to poll workers. At Whitcomb High School, 30 percent of the precinct’s 900 voters were accounted for by the end of the day.

“We are seeing a steady flow of voters,” said Poll Inspector Alfred Zambrano on Tuesday. “Not a busy precinct from what I’ve seen so far.”

Despite reshaped districts that combined Glendora with Democratic, largely Hispanic communities, Glendora voters went with primarily Republican candidates. Although Rep. Judy Chu (D-El Monte) took the most votes in the 27^th Congressional District, the top two vote-getters in Glendora were Republicans Bob Duran (who didn’t qualify for the November ballot) and Jack Orswell, who placed a distant second overall. While Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs) was the top vote-getter in the 32^nd District, Glendora voters went with Republican challenger David Miller, who garnered 861 votes over Napolitano’s 478 votes.

Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Canada-Flintridge) took the 25^th Senate District victory, but Republican challenger Gilbert Gonzales seized the Glendora vote with 3,365 votes over Liu’s 1,840. Joe Gardner, the surprise Primary victor in the 48^th Assembly District, also received the Glendora vote with 3,771 votes over Democrat Roger Hernandez’s 1,573.

Voter turnout for June primaries are historically low, but for a presidential election year, the numbers were disappointing. Voter turnout during the 2008 Presidential Primary Election was 20.17 percent in Los Angeles County. In Glendora, the voter turnout that same year was 22.84 percent.