Politics & Government

Voter Turnout Was Abysmal - What's Your Excuse?

Marin voter turnout was among the lowest in history, so we're asking Mill Valley Patch readers why they voted — and why they didn't.

Marin County Registrar Elaine Ginnold didn't hesitate to sum up the turnout from Tuesday's primary election.

"It was abysmal," she said Wednesday morning.

Preliminary results showed that 52,004 ballots were cast as of Tuesday night. Just 13.02 percent of the county's registered voters cast their ballots at the polls, Ginnold said, and 22.4 percent voted by mail, resulting in a total turnout of 35.42 percent.

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ginnold said the numbers will go up because 20,000 to 25,000 ballots still need to be counted, including several thousand provisional ballots.

She said 19,119 voters visited the polling stations Tuesday.

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I'd say it's probably the lowest in history for a presidential primary election," Ginnold said. "I was shocked. It was very hard to predict what was going to happen because it was the first top-two primary we've had (for the Congressional race)."

The election featured little of local importance for Mill Valley voters, with no City Council or Mill Valley School District seats open or any related ballot measures. Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears, who represents Mill Valley, ran unopposed in seeking his first elected term as she was appointed in May 2011 after the death of Charles McGlashan.

President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney were on the ballots for their respective party's nomination, but with Obama facing no serious opposition for the nomination and Romney having already locked off the Republican nod, those races drew little interest.

, D-San Rafael, received the most votes for a U.S. Congressional seat and is headed to a November general-election showdown with second-place finisher Dan Roberts, a Republican from Tiburon.

Also, Marin County Supervisor  was reelected to represent District 5, which includes Homestead Valley, by defeating Corte Madera resident Diane Furst and garnering 63 percent of the 7,500 votes cast. James Chou was elected as Marin Superior Court judge, and Marc Levine and Michael Allen were in a tight race for state Assembly seat representing Marin.

Ginnold said in 2008 there was a presidential primary in February and a direct primary for everything else in June, and the June one also resulted in a turnout of about 13 percent.

About 25 people scurried around the registrar's office Tuesday night, taking inventory of ballots and supplies being dropped off from polling stations. The last batch of ballots arrived at about 10:45 p.m., she said.

Many voters dropped off completed ballots at polling places on Tuesday. That method, combined with absentee voting and casting ballots in person, leaves voters plenty of options to participate in our democratic form of government, she said.

"We're making it as convenient as we possibly can," she said. "Why don't more people vote? That's a really good question."

With so much on the line, Patch would like to know whether or not you voted, and why you did not. Please answer the appropriate poll question below, and leave a comment to explain your choice.


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