I was nervous about last night's results because I knew going in that turnout was tilted toward the more typically Republican districts. Election District 2 around Freeville, and 6, 7, 10, and 11 around and south of the Village of Dryden all had above 40% turnout. Turnout in the west side, which tends more Democratic, was weaker, especially in Varna and West Dryden.
I didn't need to worry, though, because of a trend that makes me happy on a wide variety of levels: residents all over the town are becoming more willing to vote for Democratic candidates in local races. With the exceptions of District 2, Cheryl Nelson's home district, and District 3, the incredibly Republican but small corner by McLean, every district in the Town of Dryden was more willing to vote for Democratic candidates than they had been in 2003 or 2005:
| District | Description | % Dem 2003 | % Dem 2005 | % Dem 2007 | Dem Trends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Dryden | 39% | 44% | 52% | all up |
| 2 | Freeville area | 37% | 42% | 36% | up then down |
| 3 | Malloryville/McLean | 14% | 37% | 31% | up then down |
| 4 | Varna | 67% | 67% | 74% | stable to up |
| 5 | Etna | 46% | 51% | 59% | all up |
| 6 | Village of Dryden | 24% | 37% | 40% | all up |
| 7 | E and N of Dryden | 20% | 32% | 41% | all up |
| 8 | Snyder Hill, Rt 79 | 68% | 67% | 73% | down then up |
| 9 | Ellis Hollow Creek | 74% | 74% | 79% | stable to up |
| 10 | South Central Dryden | 28% | 38% | 43% | all up |
| 11 | Dryden Lake | 24% | 35% | 37% | all up |
| Total | 41% | 49% | 52% | all up |
Want to see a map? The Board of Elections has one.
The numbers for 2003 represent the Town Supervisor race between Steve Trumbull and Mark Varvayanis. The numbers for 2005 are from the Town Board race, and are based on the top two vote-getters, Republican Steve Stelick and Democrat Mary Ann Sumner. (It's not a perfect comparison.) The final column for 2007 includes the current figures for the Town Supervisor race between Mary Ann Sumner and Cheryl Nelson.
I omitted 2004 and 2006 for two reasons: a large group of people with generally different priorities votes then and only then, and those priorities may lead to different results further down the ballot, in local races.
In general, it looks like the town is getting bluer and bluer, more Democratic-leaning all the way across, except in the northeast. (I'll try to put together some red/blue color maps like these to make all this clearer, but it'll take a while.)
I know that some of this has to do with the national scene. I also think a lot of this may have to do with candidates' growing willingness to go door-to-door, bringing their message in person. Finally, I hope a lot of this has to do with the style of campaign we ran.
I don't think this is the end of neighborhood politics by any means, but after a campaign that felt polarizing, it's great to see the town less geographically polarized than it's been in years.
Posted by simon at November 7, 2007 11:31 AM in politics (local)