A 1.7 ratio is totally believable. I've worked with voter databases that suggested higher average ratios, but I'm not sure if that's because the voters have all those options to vote or because it's an artifact of the data model.
This shows 14 election days happening in 2011 for LA County. But many of those are limited to a particular city or congressional district. I think when the data gets recorded at the state level, some expediencies cause the "available election" count to be distorted.
Example: http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/01/17/ca/la/
This shows 14 election days happening in 2011 for LA County. But many of those are limited to a particular city or congressional district. I think when the data gets recorded at the state level, some expediencies cause the "available election" count to be distorted.