Off-year election? Not really
Voters use New York's new voting system for the first time in November 2010. Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan
26 -- That's the percentage of registered Long Island voters who turned out in 2009, the last off-year balloting when town and county races took center stage. In contrast, 2008's presidential election saw a 73 percent voter turnout. Participation in off-year elections like Tuesday's is generally abysmal, but it shouldn't be, since local politics has a huge effect on the lives of residents. In Australia and many other countries, voting is a legal obligation and non-voters are fined. We don't support that here, but we do support the kind of turnout it creates.
