About 4 out of 5 people in the Baltimore metropolitan area didn?t vote Tuesday, meaning around 20 percent of the population has decided who will run for control of federal, state and local offices in November.
Of the nearly 1.9 million people older than 17 in the Baltimore metropolitan area, of which around 1.3 million are registered voters, only around 375,000 cast ballots.
However, such low voter participation has come to be expected in this decade, said Curtis Gans, director of American University?s Center for the Study of the American Electorate.
“Essentially, we?ve gotten rid of the civic duty voter,” Gans said. “People don?t come out to the polls just to come out to the polls.”
Gans said the problem among residents is twofold ? a lack of interest in the Republican and Democratic parties and civic affairs in general.
“We?ve fragmented our society,” he said. “The television brings the world into your living room, but it makes people into spectators without interest in public affairs.”
Lenneal Henderson, a senior fellow at the University of Baltimore?s Center for Public Policy, said the latest results are “part of a long-term pattern” of decline in voting.
“There are very few candidates that excite voters? interest,” he said. “Only when it?s a closely contested race do people think it?s important to turn out.”
Henderson said those who don?t vote have only themselves to blame.
“You get what you pay for,” he said. “You also get what you vote for ? or in this case, don?t vote for.”
AT A GLANCE
Anne Arundel
» Registered voters: 251,897
» Ballots cast: 77,802
» Registered voters who voted: 30.9 percent
» Adults who voted: 21.1 percent
Baltimore City
» Registered voters: 315,427
» Ballots cast: 74,464
» Registered voters who voted: 23.6 percent
» Adults who voted: 16.6 percent
Baltimore County
» Registered voters: 392,737
» Ballots cast: 121,786
» Registered voters who voted: 31 percent
» Adults who voted: 20.7 percent
Carroll
» Registered voters: 98,413
» Ballots cast: 26,473
» Registered voters who voted: 26.9 percent
» Adults who voted: 21.5 percent
Harford
» Registered voters: 116,980
» Ballots cast: 37,198
» Registered voters who voted: 31.8 percent
» Adults who voted: 21.2 percent
Howard
» Registered voters: 164,246
» Ballots cast: 38,929
» Registered voters who voted: 23.7 percent
» Adults who voted: 20.1 percent
Source: Local boards of elections and U.S. Census data
