Most Won’t Vote Tomorrow

If you’re like me, you vote in every election. Unfortunately, not everyone is a regular voter.

With an open seat for mayor, the partisan primary last month had better turnout than 4 years earlier — though still dismal at just 28.6%. Last November the turnout was 69,43% — low compared to other areas in the region. Typically general elections get more voters than partisan primaries, many local governments are non-partisan so there is no primary,

St. Louis is backwards — the primary is the election.  Yes, sometimes an independent will defeat an disliked Democratic nominee  — Independent Scott Ogilvie defeating Democrat Tom Bauer in 2011.

Here is the voter turnout for the last decade, bold numbers are those less than 10%:

• 2007 March primary: 13.69%
• 2007 April general: 6.86%
• 2008 Presidential preference primary: 42.97%
• 2008 August primary: 18.20%
• 2008 November general: n/a
• 2009 March primary: 14.50%
• 2009 April general: 17.20%
• 2010 August primary: 18.58%
• 2010 November general: 48.52%
• 2011 March primary: n/a
• 2011 April general: 20.28%
• 2012 Presidential preference primary: 6.21%
• 2012 August primary : 26.77%
• 2012 November general: 74.04%
• 2013 March primary: 22.08%
• 2013 April general: 12.55%
• 2014 August primary: 20.29%
• 2014 November general: 34.05%
• 2015 March primary: 9.51%
• 2015 April general: 9.97%
• 2016 Presidential preference primary: 42.92%
• 2016 April propositions: 26.84%
• 2016 August primary: 28.26%
• 2016 November general: 69.43%
• 2017 March primary: 28.60%
• 2017 April general: ???

A few things stand out to  me: elections to fill open seats attract more voters. Mayoral & presidential elections attract more voters than years without. In local municipal elections, the primary general has higher turnout than the election. Turnout in St. Louis is embarrassingly low.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Will NLEC’s Closing Be Positive Or Negative In The Long-Term?

Late last week Larry Rice said his downtown emergency emergency shelter, the New Life Evangelistic Center will close today:

Rev. Larry Rice said he will comply with a judge’s order and close his downtown shelter.

The New Life Evangelistic Center (NLEC) will be ceasing operations on 5:00 p.m. Sunday. A judge refused Rice’s request to keep the shelter on open Thursday. (Post-Dispatch)

Rice said he hopes the closure is temporary.  Today’s poll assumes the closure is permanent:

NLEC will close at 5pm, this poll closes at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Trump Tweets Gateway Arch Should Be Changed To Gold Color

Om March 21st @USPS Stamps introduced a new Gateway Arch priority mail stamp, retweeting a @KMOV tweet:

In the early hours this morning President Trump tweeted that our iconic Gateway Arch would look better if gold in color.

This wouldn’t be the way to make St, Louis great again.

— Steve Patterson