Why is voter registration down significantly in Yorba Linda this year? Is politics too negative?

What's behind the mystery of the missing voters in Yorba Linda?

Are adult-age residents turned off by ever-increasing negative campaigning, as some academic studies suggest, or are they under the mistaken impression they can avoid jury duty if they don't register to vote?

Whatever the reason, the decline of registered voters and election turnout is significant in this community, as evidenced by the number of residents who sign-up to vote and who cast ballots.

Here's the data: An all-time high of 45,494 Yorba Lindans were registered to vote in the 2012 Presidential election, and 35,164 actually cast ballots. That dropped to 39,863 registrants for this year's June primary – despite an increase in population – with only 20,658 casting ballots.

The same is true for Yorba Linda's two county islands, Fairlynn and Country Club, which had 1,682 registered voters in November 2012, declining to 1,457 for this June's primary election.

Of course, voter participation always is less for a primary ballot than a general election, but a drop of more than 5,000 of Yorba Linda's registered voters over four years can't be explained by the usual reasons the county Registrar of Voters offers for voter roll changes.

Aside from normal fluctuations due to moves into or out of the city and adding new 18-year-olds and dropping deceased residents, officials remove from the registration list individuals who do not respond to inquiries after missing two consecutive general elections.

Registration has picked up a bit since the primary, with 284 voters added in seven weeks for a 40,147 total. The 2012 jump between the primary and general elections was 1,902; but the 2014 cycle saw a drop of 545 voters from June to November.

Last day to register to vote Nov. 8 is Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, filing for City Council, water board and school trustee positions scheduled for the November ballot continues through Aug. 12, extended to Aug. 17 if an incumbent doesn't file.

Twenty-four-year Yorba Linda Water District director Mike Beverage said he won't seek a new term, but 12-year director Ric Collett filed his declaration of candidacy July 21 for an election expected to be the most hard-fought in the district's 57 years as a public agency.

Beverage is the city's third longest-serving elected official at 28 years, including his 1982-86 council stint. Only Paul Armstrong, with 41 years (13 on the old Yorba Linda elementary school board and 28 on the water board), and Hank Wedaa, with 30 council years, served longer. School trustee Karin Freeman will have 29 years when her current term ends in 2018.

Most of the water district's voters are Yorba Lindans, but the territory includes parts of three other cities and county islands. The most recent registration breakdown is from 2010: Yorba Linda, 41,489; Placentia, 4,626; Anaheim, 457; Brea, 137; two Yorba Linda county islands, 891; East Placentia county island, 632.