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New: 2012 Election in Berkeley: Turnout Down, Majority Voted Absentee

By Rob Wrenn
Friday November 23, 2012 - 04:39:00 PM

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 

8,272 

7,988 

-3.4% 

7,080 

7,114 

+.5 

7,363 

6,975 

-5.3 

8,280 

7,436 

-10.2 

9,492 

9,102 

-4.1 

9,044 

8,286 

-8.4 

8,862 

6,727 

-24.1 

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 

53.8 

49.0 

48.4 

49.9 

59.9 

60.0 

41.0 

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%.