On the eve of Baltimore?s mayoral primary, election officials said new voter registrations have been historically low this year, indicating possible tepid voter interest for today?s election.
“This has been one of the slowest years for new voter registrations I?ve seen,” said Election Director Armstead B. Crawley Jones Sr., a 16-year veteran of the city?s Board of Elections. “Our voting population has dropped. But I don?t know if that accounts for all of it.”
The city added only 1,300 new voters to the rolls this year, raising the total of all active registered voters to 333,736. The figure represents the net number of new voters after inactive voters purged from the rolls are subtracted from new registrations.
The U.S Census bureau estimated the city?s population at 631,000 residents in 2006. Of those residents, 471,000 people are at least 18.
Fewer newer voters coupled with inclement weather ? the U.S. Weather Service was forecasting a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms for this morning ? could mean only a third of those eligible to vote will do so.
“I?d like to think we?ll have 42 percent or 43 percent turnout,” Jones said. “But if it rains it could lower, perhaps 36 percent to 37 percent.”
Jones, who took his job after the city?s troubled 2006 primary was plagued by a shortage of Republican election judges as well as polls opening late, said he was confident today?s election would run smoothly.
“Everything is going well,” he said, noting the city has enough election judges to cover the polls. Political pundits said low voter registrations and turnout could be attributed to an election that still has yet to resonate with voters.
“When you have low turnout, there are not salient issues that are polarizing and bringing out large number of peoples,” said Richard Vatz, a professor of political science at Towson University.
“If so, that is good for [Mayor] Sheila Dixon,” he said.
And while running an election is not a simple process, Jones said he?s not nervous. “I may dream absentee ballots tonight, but right now I?m fine,” he said.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Click here for a list of all city voting precincts.
