Low Voter Turnout Expected For Municipal Election

Alamance County, NC -- You may have headed to the polls to vote for mayor or council members Tuesday, but history shows that most people do not vote in municipal elections. Elections on odd years tend to have low voter turnout.

Local counties expected between 10% and 20% of registered voters to come out Tuesday. "We're sad that we don't have any greater turnout than we do," said Kathy Holland, Alamance County Board of Elections Director.

In Alamance County's last municipal election, in 2007, there was a 17% voter turnout. The election cost $38,000, which paid for poll workers, renting precincts and trucks, and other expenses. That translated into $4.88 per vote.

"If you're getting out to vote, you're utilizing your tax dollars, that's something you get personally for your tax dollars, your vote," said Holland, who compared not voting to paying for a flu shot and not getting it.

"People are busy, they have other concerns, other things they're doing," said Elon University Political Science Professor Hunter Bacot. "It's just hard for people to get excited about a local election."

Bacot said there are any number of reasons for low voter turnout. He said people may not understand what's on the ballot, they may be mentally burned out from last year's presidential election, or they just pass off the responsibility.

"It's called stealth democracy, when people don't mind if things run smoothly and they're not grave chances, but when something does move, they do react," said Bacot. "People are more willing to abdicate political responsibilities to those who want to be engaged and only become involved or actively engaged if they disagree."

After casting her vote at Graham Middle School, Alice Roberson said, "There's so much waste in the government now, I don't know, I think it's importatnt to get out a use your tax dollars wisely. Vote!"

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