Voters In DC

[candy331]

I took this from the DFA blog and if this is true which I haven't checked the figures is disturbing to say the least. If this is true is there some valid reasons why voters didn't return to the polls. I think something of the same happened in Nevada today.


Washington DC

January 13th with 96 percent of precincts reporting a total of 41,135 votes were cast

February 14th with 100 percent of precincts reporting a total of 8,928 votes were cast

So over 32,207 people who were engaged enough in January a month later have no desire to vote. Think about it.

This tells me people aren?t feeling like their vote really matters and are disengaging. Wonder what the Democratic Party will do to get the people to vote who feel once again, the corrupt powers that be are silencing their voice. The only chance that any democratic candidate has of winning in the election is to get non-voters out to vote and that isnt? likely to happen now.

[Renew Deal]

1. OK

There is so much you and I don't know. 1st, did people know today is election day? Is anyone talking about it? Did any candidate wisit DC?

2nd, why wouldn't people think... I already voted.

3rd, I saw something that said 16% voted in the January DC primary and 8% voted 4 years ago.

This is 4%, but most people have already voted.

Nevada voted today and they are talking about record turnouts? Why is that? Doesn't that blow your theory?

[lcordero]

2. Were any of the Presidential Candidates at DC?

Only three people (Kucinich, Sharpton, and Braun) were in DC the first time around.

It might just be that the "ax handle" mentality is coming back to haunt the Democratic Party.

[Laughing Mirror]

4. only Sharpton campaigned yesterday in DC

[pezcore64]

3. hum

three words.

upset Dean supporters.

thats why they the numbers were down.

personally i find it hard to believe that DC voters would choose who won. i just really really find that hard to swallow. the people of DC are smarter than that. you hafta be smarter if you have less rights.
someone stop DC from being stepped all over ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME!
stop treating DC like a third rate territory america!


GO DEAN!!!

[Tinoire]

5. There was a post earlier today noting that there were quite a bit fewer

caucus locations than in the past and that not everyone could get to them. Wish I had book-marked it but maybe a DUer with a better memory could point us to it?

[Edwards4President]

6. This is largely the fault of DC Democrats

who insisted on having a "beauty contest" primary early this year in order to make a statement. While the statement was a valid one, the mechanism was very flawed.

As a result of doing it this way, DC Dems confused its voters, many of whom thought the first primary was actually binding. And since they voted just a month ago, voting wasn't on people's radar screen. Most people I know in DC didn't even know that yesterday was an election day, largely because these were caucuses, not actual elections. In fact, according to the Washington post, the turnout at yesterday's DC caucuses was consistent with the turnout at other caucuses around the country; caucuses tend to have a much lower turnout than traditional open elections.