Video Transcript: Local election results bring surprises to Syracuse residents
Alex Burstein: As the Wednesday after election night rolls around in Syracuse, there are happy candidates and there are sad ones. But as we talked to residents in downtown Syracuse, there was something in common between some of them. They didn’t vote.
Elizabeth Pritchett: Change it, not just Republican, Democrat, independent voters as well.
Andreas Harvey: They do like a couple of events in the city. But in general, I live downtown, and it’s been very lonely.
Burstein: Nearly 87, 000 voters in Onondaga County voted in Tuesday’s statewide and municipal elections. That seems like a lot, until you look at how many are registered. Over 300, 000. This shouldn’t be a surprise, according to SU Political science professor Grant Reeher.
Grant Reeher: Sharon Owns was the clear frontrunner. She raised tons more money than her other candidate, that the other candidates did. And it was pretty clear that she was going to win the election. And so that may have kept some people from turning out.
Burstein: And while turnout remained stagnant in the Syracuse mayoral race, across the country, there was a high Democratic turnout that led to a record impact.
Reeher: I think there was generally a more energized voter turnout on the Democratic side.
Burstein: At the end of the day, even with average turnout numbers that won’t blow anyone away, the democratic party took advantage. Lisa Lehmonn is a member of the Syracuse democratic committee
Lisa Lehmonn: We always try to get people out and sometimes it’s a real uphill battle. This was a monster turnout and it wasn’t just locally; it was nationally.
Burstein: Democrats flipped the Onondaga County legislature for the first time in nearly half a century. And in the city, democrat sheron owens won over 70% of the vote to become the city’s first Black mayor. Lehmonn says that new strategies have helped improve democratic turnout.
Lehmonn: We sent out postcards to people with, here’s a QR code. You can hear from each of the candidates. You know, maybe you’re not gonna answer the door when they come up, but you can at least know what they’re about, what they care about, why they’re running. So we’re trying to think outside of the box. We’re trying to change how we reach people.
Burstein: And a year before midterms, a clear picture is painted. It’s not how many are turning out that matters, but the party of those who do. Alex Burstein, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – In the middle of a blue wave during November’s local and statewide elections, Syracuse residents felt a myraid of emotions.
Elizabeth Pitchett wants more visibilty for voters in the middle.
“Change it, to not just Republican, or Democrat. (Add help for) independent voters as well,” Pritchett said.
Andreas Harvey thinks there’s needs to be more events by candiates.
“They do like a couple of events in the city. But in general, I live downtown, and it’s been very lonely.”
But despite changes that people might want, one message was clear after the early November elections – Democrats were to have a lot more control.
In Syracuse, Democrat Sharon Owens became the first Black mayor with over 70% of the vote. Additionally, Democrats flipped the Onondaga County legislature for the first time in almost 50 years. Syracuse Democratic Committee member Lisa Lehmonn says new strategies helped bring out Democrats.
“We sent out postcards to people with a QR code,” Lehmonn said. “You can hear from each of the candidates. You know, maybe you’re not gonna answer the door when they come up, but you can at least know what they’re about, what they care about, why they’re running. So we’re trying to think outside of the box. We’re trying to change how we reach people.”
Even with those efforts, turnout still remained low county-wide. Of the over 300,000 registered voters, only 87,000 cast a ballot. This wasn’t a surprise, especially in the city, to Syracuse University Political science professor Grant Reeher.
“Sharon Owns was the clear frontrunner,” Reeher said. “She raised tons more money than the other candidates did. And it was pretty clear that she was going to win the election. And so that may have kept some people from turning out.”
But while overall numbers weren’t up, Lehmonn said the Democratic turnout was more than enough to send a message.
“We always try to get people out and sometimes it’s a real uphill battle,” Lehmonn said. “This was a monster turnout and it wasn’t just locally; it was nationally.”