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Turnout may be lowest ever
Wednesday, November 07, 2001 By James O'Toole, Politics Editor, Post-Gazette
Allegheny County's voter turnout yesterday was the lowest of any general election in more than half a century, and possibly the lowest ever. Across the Commonwealth, voters showed up at the polls in similarly anemic numbers, matching the low expectations for an off-year election that was forced to compete for the public's attention with war, anthrax and a seven-game World Series.
With nearly all of Allegheny County's precincts tabulated, the turnout rate among registered voters was just over 27 percent. Mark Wolosik, manager of the elections division, said the final percentage might be slightly higher but was unlikely to surpass 30 percent. Wolosik said the election division's records go back to the 1940s and, over that span, the previous record-low turnout was 40.3 percent in 1985, when the most prominent local race was the late mayor Richard Caliguiri's re-election over token GOP opposition.
County Chief Executive Jim Roddey had a few things to smile about yesterday -- particularly Doug Price's victory in a crucial County Council race -- but he said shortly after the polls closed, "One of my biggest disappointments today is that people weren't coming out to vote."
Year-to-year comparisons of turnout rates among registered voters don't always yield apples-to-apples comparisons as registration trends have been inflated by federal motor-voter procedures. But a look at yesterday's vote total compared to the county's voting age population also suggests a record low turnout. The vote in Allegheny County was approximately 26 percent of the population aged 18 and older. The previous record low since at least 1951 was 29.8 percent in 1985. In the 1960 election, by contrast, 74 percent of the voting age population turned out.
As in past elections, the turnout was not uniform across the state. Philadelphians, following a pattern for non-presidential elections, voted in proportions even lower than in the western part of the state. With returns still incomplete, it appeared that the Philadelphia turnout would hover around 20 percent, which would not be a record low for the Democratic stronghold.
Washington County voters showed up at the polls at rates similar to their neighbor to the north -- just under 30 percent.
The turnout in Washington County was estimated to be 29.8 percent, said Larry Spahr, elections director, adding that was about average for municipal elections. A ballot question for a government study commission did not have any apparent impact on turnout.
In the region, some voters faced an additional hurdle on their way to the polling booth -- a widespread electrical outage that extended over parts of Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties.
In Butler County, the director of elections expected turnout to be bottom of the barrel.
"If this isn't our worst general election ever, then it'll be close," said Regis Young. "People should be ashamed. Oh, they go out and wave their flags but they can't get out and vote."
Young said he had been expecting a turnout of 37 percent but had to revise his projection after visiting polling places throughout the county yesterday afternoon.
"I hate to say it but I think it will be tough for us to get out of the 20s in terms of percentages. I'm hoping I'm wrong but I don't think so," he said.
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