So how did the two voting precincts that include Bloomingdale -- precinct 19 (south of Rhode Island Avenue NW) and precinct 135 (north of Rhode Island Avenue NW) -- do in the Tuesday, April 3, 2012 DC primary election?
That is, how did the voter turnout in precincts 19 & 135 compare with Ward 5's sixteen other precincts?
Here you go:
Precinct Voter Turnout
66 1033
67 817
69 500
72 493
71 443
74 436
68 426
139 418
19 412
135 391
77 341
73 314
44 302
75 299
70 296
78 267
79 120
76 67
Both "Bloomingdale" precincts clearly fall within the middle-third of Ward 5 eighteen precints -- actually, right in the middle!
Has the voter turnout for 19 and 135 been higher in the past?
Yes, indeed.
Our turnout has taken a bit of a dive.
Not good.
The * next * opportunity for voters is on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, for the Ward 5 council special election.
A * perfect * opportunity for voters to come out and improve our relative ranking within the 18 Ward 5 precincts.
We can do better, yes?
I have raised this topic off and on over the past 10+ years.
See this Bloomingdale listserv Email from November 2008:
This Bloomingdale Email focuses upon a single topic -- voter turnout in the two voting precincts that include Bloomingdale -- Precincts 135 and 19.
(Here is a map of the Ward 5 precincts -- including 135 and 19:
http://citizenatlas.dc.gov/atlasapps/downloads/PDF/W5_VP.pdf .)
Why an interest in voter turnout in elections?
Axiom: Precincts with higher voter turnout are more likely to retain attention of the elected Ward 5 councilmember, whomever he or she may be.
Therefore, it is perhaps in Bloomingdale's best interest to promote improved voter turnout -- and to improve Bloomingdale's precinct standing in Ward 5.
In the February 2008 election, Precincts 135 and 19 made it into the top third of Ward 5 precincts (see the 2/17/2008 Bloomingdale Email copied in below).
Let's try to at least RETAIN the current ranking -- and hopefully INCREASE our ranking on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
I have copied in below the February 17, 2008, Bloomingdale Email, following the February 12, 2008 election.
Ward 5 Voter Turnout On Primary
Election Day, 2/12/2008, by Precinct
I am supplying below the voter turnout for each of Ward 5's eighteen precincts. This data is from the DC Board of Elections and Ethics website, http://dcboee.org/.
For comparison purposes, I am supplying the results from the 9/12/2006 election, followed by the 2/12/2008 election.
The chart below lists the precinct number, followed by the voter count from the 9-12-2006 election, followed by the 2-12-2008 results. This chart is in precinct number order.
I have bolded the voter count numbers for Precincts 135 and 19, the two Ward 5 precincts that include Bloomingdale.
Precinct # / 9-12-2006 voter total / 2-12-2008 voter total
Precinct 19: 940 / 1123 ("south" Bloomingdale + Truxton Circle)
Precinct 44: 749 / 880
Precinct 66: 1853 / 1997 (Precinct 66 typically has the highest Ward 5 voter turnout.)
Precinct 67: 1346 / 1417 (and Precint 67 usually comes in 2nd place)
Precinct 68: 786 / 853
Precinct 69: 926 / 939
Precinct 70: 622 / 689
Precinct 71: 845 / 926
Precinct 72: 1100 / 1149
Precinct 73: 770 / 818
Precinct 74: 1012 / 1115
Precinct 75: 724 / 824
Precinct 76: 212 / 204
Precinct 77: 780 / 821
Precinct 78: 661 / 737
Precinct 79: 344 / 378
Precinct 135: 837 / 991 ("north" Bloomingdale + the Stronghold)
Precinct 139: 694 / 794
Now here is the same data as above -- this time, sorted in voter turnout order, using the 2/12/2008 numbers.
Again, the three columns of data are: precinct number, the voter count from the 9/12/2006 election, and the voter count from the 2/12/2008 election.
======================= top third
Precinct 66: 1853 / 1997 (Precinct 66 typically has the highest Ward 5 voter turnout.)
Precinct 67: 1346 / 1417 (and Precinct 67 usually comes in 2nd place)
Precinct 72: 1100 / 1149
Precinct 19: 940 / 1123 ("south" Bloomingdale + Truxton Circle)
Precinct 74: 1012 / 1115
Precinct 135: 837 / 991 ("north" Bloomingdale + the Stronghold)
====================== middle third
Precinct 69: 926 / 939
Precinct 71: 845 / 926
Precinct 68: 786 / 853
Precinct 77: 780 / 821
Precinct 73: 770 / 818
Precinct 44: 749 / 880
====================== bottom third
Precinct 75: 724 / 824
Precinct 139: 694 / 794
Precinct 78: 661 / 737
Precinct 70: 622 / 689
Precinct 79: 344 / 378
Precinct 76: 212 / 204
In this past Tuesday's primary election, 5 of the 18 Ward 5 precincts had higher vote counts than Precinct 135: Precincts 19, 66, 67, 72 and 74. Back in the 9-12-2006 election, it was indentical.
For Precinct 19, there were only THREE precincts in Ward 5 that higher voter turnout counts: 72, 66 and 67. Back in the 9-12-2006 election, FOUR of the 18 precincts had higher vote counts than Precinct 19: 66, 67, 72 and 74.
So Precinct 19 has moved up one slot.
Overall, not bad.
The two precincts that include Bloomingdale are firmly in the top third of the Ward 5 precincts.
Enough to retain the continuing attention of the elected Ward 5 councilmember?
I would think so.
Will Bloomingdale ever catch up with Ward 5's "power" precincts --Precincts 66 and 67?
