« LPC Votes: McCarren Approved, Riverside Postponed Is the Q Train the New L? »

September 10, 2008

Low Voter Turn-Out For Primaries As Usual

vote-0908.jpg
The Democratic Primary results are in. The big news on the state level was 28-year-old Daniel Squadron's victory over incumbent State Senator Martin Connor and Ed Towns' trouncing of challenger Kevin Powell in the 10th Congressional District. The most disappointing aspect of the day for us was the fact that when we went to our polling station at 6:15 last night we were the only person there voting! As it turns out, in many districts in Brooklyn, less than 5,000 people turned up at the polls. So that got us thinking about the Brownstoner readership turnout in general: Is it as apathetic as the general population? If you are a registered Democrat, did you vote? If not, why not?




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:46 AM | Comments (13)
Categories: Politics

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/6177

Comments

Was it in the year 2000 that Barry Ford ran (as an Indendent? I forget how he did this, since I think he's a Democrat too) against Ed Towns, I was unable to vote for him. The voting machine row which contained his lever just didn't move. In the ensuing insanity of the Bush / Gore recount, a complaint such as mine was just buried. I am not certain, but I believe I am in the same electoral district as Mr. Ford, so it could be when he attempted to vote for himself he also may have been unable to turn the lever.

So I didn't vote against Ed Towns in the primary yesterday because I assumed that "machine" politics would prevail regardless. There was probably no way he wouldn't win.

There had been reports prior to this of voting machines in Queens which had been suspiciously "broken" but I never saw any reporting about this as an issue in Brooklyn.

I am not suggesting that there WERE any malfunctions such as this during this primary, but that's the reason I didn't bother voting in the primary.

Sorry Mr. Powell.

Posted by: Stonergut at September 10, 2008 9:59 AM

I was the only one in my polling place (in the 25th) at 8:45 yesterday morning. The turnout was probably better than a few years back, though. I don't remember which year it was, but I ran in to vote in a primary at the last minute - 8:30 at night or so. The poll worker told me I was the third person to vote. All day.

Posted by: WBer at September 10, 2008 10:17 AM

I voted in the 10th yesterday around 7:45am. Only one other voter was there besides my husband and me. I'm pretty glad I went to vote since it appears that when I changed my address with the DMV it wasn't updated with the Board of Elections (even though they said it would be). I'm glad I caught this before the November election.

Posted by: stuyheightshoyaka at September 10, 2008 10:45 AM

I voted yesterday morning in Bed-Stuy and, believe it or not, there were quite a few people at the school. Maybe it seemed more crowded than it was because 3 voting machines were jammed into a teacher's lounge--the gym wasn't available because school was in session. I only had to wait a minute or two but there were definitely voters. Towns did the big push among the old church ladies and I guess they all came out before it started raining.

Posted by: rf at September 10, 2008 10:47 AM

The only sad news is that Sheldon Silver will be in office yet again. He belongs in the old Tammany Hall days!

Posted by: ou812 at September 10, 2008 11:05 AM

I'm not affiliated with a party, on principle. I don't believe in the two-party system. However, the fact that I could not vote for Kevin Powell yesterday made me reconsider my choice. After all these years, I might just register as a democrat for the next election. It's a frustrating choice to have to make.

Posted by: dash at September 10, 2008 11:07 AM

We're batting close to .500 so far. Much better than the general population. Of course, just a little selection bias in there!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 10, 2008 11:24 AM

So does Squadron's victory mean that Brooklyn Bridge Park is dead?

Posted by: FtGreeneCorey at September 10, 2008 11:50 AM

I attempted to vote in my district in Crown Heights, but when I got to the polling station and gave the voting attendant my address, she informed me that all of the candidates in my districts were running uncontested and therefore there was no need to vote. Go figure!

In any event, I was not the only one at the polling station. There were about 3 - 4 others. It was about midday when I went.

Posted by: Wont UB My Nabor at September 10, 2008 12:01 PM

I voted because Brownstoner reminded me to vote--and thanks for that.

Posted by: Rehab at September 10, 2008 12:28 PM

The lower manhattan residents let us down again by returning Sheldon Silver to office.

Posted by: dittoburg at September 10, 2008 12:48 PM

I am proud to not be a registered democrat.

Posted by: Xander Crews at September 10, 2008 1:28 PM

Ha, ha, ha, Corey. I really do enjoy a dry sense of humor.

Posted by: altervoce at September 10, 2008 2:03 PM

Post a comment

Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.

Latest Restaurant Additions