Phoenix election saw lower than usual voter turnout
Aug 27, 2015, 6:00 AM
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX — While ballots are still being counted, Phoenix city leaders said voter turnout on Tuesday night was slightly below average.
Out of the more than 600,000 registered voters in Phoenix, about 90 percent vote by mail. These numbers have caused the amount of polling locations in the city to be cut from 125 to 29 over the past several years, which makes encouraging voter turnout even more difficult.
Its estimated 18 to 19 percent of registered voters cast their ballot compared to the average 20 to 25 percent.
Phoenix Deputy City Clerk Ben Lane said city staff is already considering new ways to bring residents to the polls next election.
“If resource permit, (we will) try to reach out to neighborhood associations to do individual presentations about the upcoming election and what is on the ballot and the importance of voting,” he said.
This year, the city utilized social media to encourage residents to vote. Lane said they will continue doing so in future elections.
“We have been trying to do different types of outreach,” he said. “We started utilizing social media to get the word out about the election, we have had several YouTube videos out.”