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New York: #1 in Voter Apathy, With Lowest Turnout in U.S.!
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 16, 2010
Modified Nov 16, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 16, 2010
Modified Nov 16, 2010
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We did it New York, and by "it" we mean "nothing"! Out of all the apathetic states in this slothful union, New York State ranks #1, boasting the lowest voter turnout in the midterm election earlier this month. The United States Election Project at George Mason University says only 32.1 percent of the 13.4 million eligible voters in New York actually bothered to show up at the polls. Utah and Texas tied for second place, with 32.2 percent turnout, but here in New York many of us simply had too much shit to do to that day—what's their excuse?
Political analysts speculate that New York's low turnout—the lowest in three decades—may have had something to do with uncompetitive elections for Governor and Senator. "New York Republicans nominated arguably the weakest ticket in the nation, especially with two Senate seats and the governorship at stake," Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, tells City Room. "None of the top three G.O.P. candidates was taken seriously. The amazing thing is that the G.O.P. captured at least five House seats — but, then, the party was at an historic low in Congress and had nowhere to go but up." Heh, we may not be able to beat the Republicans, but at least we can make little underminey comments to minimize their victory.
Tagged
election day 2010
midterm elections
turnout
voting
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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