05/03/12: Another low turnout – but better

This op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot on the date shown.

THE FOUR election officers looked bored. No wonder: At 2:30 pm Tuesday, I was voter No. 59 in my precinct in Norfolk. By the time the polls closed at 7, a whopping 103 people — out of 1,760 registered — had voted.

Believe it or not, that was an improvement over four years ago, when 92 out of 1,634 registered voters in my precinct cast ballots.

In nearly every precinct, the results were the same: higher numbers than four years ago. In fact, voter turnout in the city increased almost 40 percent — from a paltry 7.45 percent to a less paltry 10.34 percent. Most of that overall increase can be attributed to the race in Super-ward 6, where the number of votes cast jumped nearly 72 percent.

Although I’m always disappointed that turnout isn’t higher, there was a bright spot in Tuesday’s elections, a reinforcing of the point opponents of partisan redistricting have been making for years: Competition increases participation.

The total number of registered voters in Norfolk increased just over 10 percent from 108,820 in 2008 to 120,249 in 2012. Had the turnout percentage stayed the same, it would have been reasonable to expect the total votes cast to increase by the same margin . But it didn’t. As a percentage of registered voters, turnout grew substantially.

In 2008, Superward 7 saw an incumbent square off against an underfunded, unknown challenger. This year, neither candidate for the ward was on the ballot four years ago, the result being that both had some work to do to connect with voters.

Total votes cast in this race increased about 23 percent, from 3,014 to 3,717. Using 2008 as a baseline, about half of the increase in voters went to the incumbent and about half went to the challenger. The race in Superward 7 was slightly more competitive, with the incumbent receiving just over 70 percent of the total, compared to the nearly 76 percent four years ago.

The marquee race in Norfolk was in Superward 6, with three challengers to the incumbent. Nearly all of the increase in the number of votes cast — from 5,029 in 2008 to 8,738 Tuesday — went to the challengers; in fact, the incumbent, while garnering more votes than he did in 2008, didn’t even pick up the 10 percent increase in registered voters.

About 4,300 more votes cast citywide in 2012 than in 2008 translates into about 4,300 more people who made the time to go out and vote. Usually that means they are a little more informed about the process.

For some, this was the first time they’d voted in a local election. Others may have taken it a step further, working on or contributing to the campaigns of their preferred candidate.

Some may never vote in a local election again. But some, bitten by the local election bug, will become regulars at City Council and School Board meetings and budget hearings.

Because that’s what participation does: It engenders more participation.

Welcome to the club!