The prediction all along has been that the voter turnout for the Tuesday, July 26 Greensboro City Council election would be dismal.
After one day of early voting there are now a few statistics that indicate the percentage will fall in the range that many were predicting – between 5 percent and 10 percent of the registered voters will cast ballots in this election to choose the nine people who will run the City of Greensboro until 2025.
This is only the second time the Greensboro mayor and members of the City Council have been elected to four-year terms. Prior to 2017 the members of the City Council were elected to two-year terms.
On Thursday, July 7, the first day of early voting in the July 26 City Council election, 467 voters cast their ballots.
That would appear to compare favorably with the first day of early voting in 2017, when 212 voters cast ballots. But in 2017, on the first day of early voting, only two early voting sites were open – and on the first day of early voting this year all six early voting sites opened at 8 a.m.
In 2017, on the first day of early voting when all early voting sites were open, 954 voters cast their ballots. Since two early voting sites had already opened, there are some variations, but a straight up comparison is that the voter turnout on the first day of early voting this year was 49 percent of the first day of early voting with all the early voting sites open in 2017.
Another consideration is that this is a holiday week. A lot of people take the week of July 4 off and are out of town. In the May 17 primary voter turnout was much heavier toward the end of the early voting period than it was at the beginning.
So at this point there are many different factors to consider, but in a direct comparison, in the 2017 election a total of 14.8 percent of the registered voters voted in the election. So if the first day comparison is close to accurate – a little over 7 percent of the registered voters could be expected to vote in the July 26 City Council election.
In 2017, a total of 44,291 voters cast ballots, and based on the calculations the voter turnout this year would be about half of that – or a little over 22,000 voters will get to decide who makes the decisions for the 300,000 residents of Greensboro until the next City Council election, which is scheduled for November 2025.
Guess the paid voters have not yet showed up yet.
Folks are too busy watching Facebook, Twitter, etc. to take a few minutes to vote.
Those of us who do vote, have to suffer the fools.
The few of those who vote will have the power. I am certain that city employees, council members, and all of those who profit from govt largesse; have received their motivation to vote. Probably paid time off to vote, too. Why do you think that the city continues to add make-work jobs?
VOTE!
Let us see low turnout as an opportunity for write-in candidate, Chris Meadows. If you are a registered voter in Greensboro and you plan to vote for the most qualified candidate, Chris Meadows, get off your rump and vote. You will be glad you did. It will make your life in Greensboro better.
Must be all the efforts of the GOP to restrict the ability of minorites to vote are working out.
Funny comment when blacks vote more than White people in our fair city.
Where did you get that factoid? There ARE more minorities in Greensboro than whites.
Skeet, please provide a list of minority restricting efforts; or do you just make broad accusations to incite voters?
Sunday July 17 will be a banner day, that is the church and bus to the polls day for many black churches and will bode well for the black at large candidates some who have been on council for years and have done little for the black community but will be elected because they are black. Keep in mind that ALL setting council members have raised taxes in GSO by 8.69/100 but then talk about how the poor are unfairly treated by the system… they are the system!
Black voters will choose between two candidates, Nancy Vaughn or Justin Outling. There is a third candidate, Chris Meadows. Voters who want change in Greensboro will vote for write-in candidate Chris Meadows. Voters in Greensboro have a unique opportunity for change. Please take advantage by voting for mayoral candidate Chris Meadows and at-large candidate Katie Rossabi.
Taking a page from Black voters’ playbook, organize a caravan of Chris Meadows voters. Call several people who plan to vote for Chris Meadows and drive to the polls as a group. Nothing wrong with a Chris Meadows’ political groupie.