It’s been a long time since so few Philadelphians participated in a presidential primary.
According to unofficial City Commissioners results, only 17.7% of registered voters turned out in Tuesday’s election, or just 183,538 of the city’s more than one million eligible voters.
That’s just over half the percentage – about 32% – who chose Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination four years ago or supported Donald Trump’s ultimately unsuccessful re-election bid over the Republican nomination.
And this is even lower 40% of Philadelphia voters who went to the polls in 2016 to vote for Trump, Ted Cruz or another Republican, or to choose between Hillary Clinton and her rival Bernie Sanders.
Election observers do was predicted by low turnout this year, given that Biden and Trump, as well as U.S. Senate candidates Bob Casey and Dave McCormick, had no primary challengers and nominations were closed.
There were competitive races across the state for government positions – attorney general, treasurer and auditor – but, paradoxically, voters generally thought all of these candidates were basically OK and didn’t bother choosing among them, said Lauren Cristella, president Good Association, Philadelphia-based government group, Committee of Seventy.
“We heard that people were generally happy with their choices,” she said. Voters “did not feel so passionately passionate that it motivated them to vote, and they were not so opposed to anyone that it motivated them to vote.”
No options in Philadelphia
Low participation levels were evident not only in Philadelphia but throughout Pennsylvania. Just 29% of registered voters in the state cast a ballot, down from 41% four years ago. When asked, he reported.
“By any measure, it was a disappointing day from a race engagement standpoint,” said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Public Opinion Institute, on WHYY’s Studio 2 on Wednesday afternoon.
Nevertheless, some observers were surprised or disappointed by how few city voters turned out. This may reflect a long-term relative trend stagnation in the level of political involvement in Philadelphia, and factors such as the power of incumbency in a solidly Democratic city and the resulting lack of truly competitive races.
Cristella said the low turnout was “concerning.”
“Philadelphia is our largest city and economic center, and we need people to show up here in equal proportion. We don’t need other people over-represented across the state,” she said with a laugh. “We need Philadelphians to show up and vote, too.”
By comparison, western Pennsylvania’s diverse voter demographics have led to more high-profile races in that region, she added. In Allegheny County, including Pittsburgh, turnout approached 27%.
The impoverished showing in Philadelphia was due in part “to a lack of competitive races and a lack of options to encourage people to vote,” Cristella said.
She noted Republican U.S. Summer Lee’s re-election bid in Allegheny County against a moderate Democratic challenger, which attracted national attention. “Elections are just more competitive because of the demographics of counties in the western part of the state,” she said.
Stressed and dissatisfied voters
Among other factors that may have lowered vote totals in Philadelphia and across the state is dissatisfaction with the top spot among both Republicans and Democrats.
“There is a general sense of disappointment in the election among the electorate right now, especially at the presidential level, because both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have pretty low favorable ratings,” Borick said. “Many voters don’t like either of them.”
This is most clearly reflected in the immense number of protest votes against Biden in form voters writing “uninvolved” or under another name and against Trump by voting for Nikki Haley. She withdrew from the race six weeks ago but still appeared on the ballot.
More than 9.5% of Democratic voters in Philadelphia wrote in on their behalf, an unusually high number. Haley received 17.6% of the Republican vote in the city and 16.6% statewide.
Borick said that in addition to disliking these specific candidates, voters also appear to be disaffected with politics in general. In a recent Muhlenberg health study43% of Pennsylvanians surveyed said politics and current events are a “major source of stress” in their lives, far more than personal finances (22%), work (22%), and relationships (9%).
That suggests that despite the high stakes when the Democratic and Republican candidates face off head-to-head in November, voters could still stay home rather than cast ballots, Borick said.
“They are overwhelmed by politics. They feel there is a lack of effectiveness that could make a difference,” Borick said. “When trust in a system declines, attendance or engagement often declines. So there are certainly ripe conditions for declining attendance this fall.”
