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Over 90% Of NY Democrats Didn't Bother Voting Tuesday
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 11, 2014
Modified Sep 11, 2014
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 11, 2014
Modified Sep 11, 2014
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Apparently there was some sort of thingy where people participate in the political process earlier this week, but if you're like most New Yorkers, you just couldn't be bothered. According to preliminary data from the Board of Elections, an estimated 9.3% of New York State's 5.8 million registered Democrats did that thing where you fill in an oval or pull a lever to have some input on how government "functions." But polls are only open for 15 hours, and in NYC sometimes you have to walk a few blocks to get to them! We'll vote for the candidate who promises to provide election day sherpas.
The apathy appears to be higher than in recent primaries. Capital New York reports that 531,205 Democrats voted Tuesday, down from 661,296 who voted in 2010, "when there was no competitive race for governor."
Some political analysts interpret the extremely low voter turnout as a sign of dissatisfaction with Governor Cuomo, who lost a surprising 30% of the vote to upstart challenger Zephyr Teachout. "For an incumbent governor to be held under two thirds of a vote in his own party is not a sign of strength, even if nobody turned out to vote, and the fact that nobody turned out to vote makes it clear that his candidacy was uninspiring,” Ken Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College, tells Capital New York.
Cuomo, for his part, dismissed the low turnout yesterday as "not representative" of voters' feelings for him, telling reporters, "My campaign is basically my performance in office. What I'm saying is look at what I've done." Judging by Tuesday's turnout, voters would rather look away.
Tagged
andrew cuomo
apathy
democracy
elections
primary day
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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