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New: 2012 Election in Berkeley: Turnout Down, Majority Voted Absentee
Turnout in Berkeley in this year’s election was down compared to the 2008 presidential election. 9% fewer votes were counted this year. 73.7% of registered voters voted compared to 77.5% in 2008.
Turnout was also below 2004’s turnout, with 259 fewer votes cast. The number votes cast in 2012 was still well above that of the 1996 and 2000 elections, in part due to increased population and a larger pool of people eligible to vote.,
Berkeley Turnout Presidential Elections
Year | Ballots Cast and turnout | Dem. Candidate Vote/percent |
1996 | 52,248 60% | Clinton 37,859 73.6% |
2000 | 54,684 75.6% | Gore 42,167 78.1% |
2004 | 60,818 77.3% | Kerry 54,409 90.0% |
2008 | 66,703 77.5% | Obama 61,134 92.5% |
2012 | 60,559 73.7% | Obama 54,163 90.3% |
Student Turnout Down
A big drop in student turnout accounts for much of the citywide drop. In the student precincts of District 7, north of Dwight Way, 37% fewer votes were cast in 2012 than in 2008. Fewer votes were cast in these precincts than in 2004 as well.
Change in votes cast by district
Ballots Cast | |||
Council District | 2008 | 2012 | Percent Change |
1 | 8,272 | 7,988 | -3.4% |
2 | 7,080 | 7,114 | +.5 |
3 | 7,363 | 6,975 | -5.3 |
4 | 8,280 | 7,436 | -10.2 |
5 | 9,492 | 9,102 | -4.1 |
6 | 9,044 | 8,286 | -8.4 |
7 | 8,862 | 6,727 | -24.1 |
8 | 7,927 | 6,931 | -12.6 |
Citywide | 66,703 | 60,559 | -9.2 |
Students Dist. 7 | 3,893 | 2,442 | -37.3 |
More votes were cast this year in District 2, the only district with an increase. There was a small drop in votes cast in Districts 1 and 3 but voting levels were still well above those of 2004.
Absentee Voting
For the first time in a presidential election, a majority of voters in Berkeley used vote by mail ballots. Many of these ballots were dropped off at polling places and counted after election day.
Absentee Voting in Berkeley Elections
Year | Percent Absentee |
2012 | 51.7 |
2010 | 51.0 |
2008 | 46.4 |
2006 | 49.5 |
2004 | 37.2 |
Absentee voting is more common in the hills. In District 5 and 6 and in the hills of District 8 about 60% voted absentee. Students still vote overwhelmingly at the polls
In thirteen student precincts (consolidated to seven) in Districts 7 and 8, only 26.7% voted by mail.
Absentee Voting by Council District
November 6, 2012 Election
Council District | Percent Absentee |
1 | 53.8 |
2 | 49.0 |
3 | 48.4 |
4 | 49.9 |
5 | 59.9 |
6 | 60.0 |
7 | 41.0 |
8 | 47.4 |
citywide | |
13 student precincts D7&8 | 26.7 |
The difference in voting habits between hills residents and students helps explain the seesaw vote count on Measure S this year. It led in the initial absentees, disproportionately from the hills, by a 58%-42% margin, but with votes cast at the polls added, the measure finished election night behind by 57% to 43%. The count of the remaining absentee and provisional votes narrowed the margin to 52% to 48%.