What if you had an election and no one showed up? Statistically speaking that?s almost what occurred Tuesday when only 28 percent of Baltimore?s registered voters ? 1 of out of 9 adults eligible to vote ? decided that victor Mayor Sheila Dixon should be granted a four-year extension on her eight-month stewardship of the city.
Election officials said the turnout was the lowest since 1991, when only 27 percent of voters turned out to re-elect incumbent Mayor Kurt Schmoke.
But with several viable challengers, including City Councilman Keiffer Mitchell Jr., and controversial issues such as a rising homicide rates dominating the headlines, deserted polls and few voters had election workers scratching their heads.
“It?s a tough question to answer why turnout was so low,” said veteran campaign worker
Charlie Metz, who worked for mayoral challenger state Del. Jill Carter.
“The top of the ticket drove the race ? this is a really an incumbent-friendly city ? and there was very little enthusiasm for challengers,” Metz said.
But other veterans of city campaigns said a lack of spirited campaigning and overemphasis
on crime left voters feeling hopeless.
“I think that in particular city elections usually have a greater degree of enthusiasm when there is some degree of hope things are going to get better,” said Daki Napata, a longtime observer of city politics. “They overemphasized crime. As real a problem as it is, where is the hope elsewhere?”
Other observers said the poor turnout suggests an underlying beliefthat the city?s problems ? like crime ? are intractable.
“Among people you get a sense of resignation, they begin to question and doubt whether politicians and persons can address the issue, particularly when the issues are protracted,” said C. Vernon Gray a professor of political science at Morgan State University.
Towson University political science professor Richard Vatz attributed some voter apathy to pre-election polls.
“This entire campaign appears to be affected disproportionately by early polls, and I think that?s the story of the campaign,” he said.
Join the discussion and take our poll in today’s examiNation Baltimore: Why do you think Baltimore City voters didn’t go to the polls?
