The 2011 Arlington Heights Municipal Voter Turnout

The voter turnout in the 2011 Arlington Heights Village election hopefully is the low end of a long depressing trend.

• According to the latest update on the David Orr, Cook Co. Clerk website: the total number of ‘votes cast’ (vote for 4) in the 2011 municipal race in Arlington Heights was 19,023. This is the lowest total votes cast (vote for 4) since 2001, except for 2003.
• In the 2003 municipal election there were 18,468 total ‘votes cast’ (vote for 4), for four unopposed candidates; Mr. Hayes, Ms. Jensen, Mr. Stengren and Mr. Toljanic. In other words four unopposed candidates in 2003 nearly matched the total ‘votes cast’ in 2011.
• In 2011 the ‘ballots cast’ was 6,656 in the municipal race of 52,168 registered voters in Arlington Heights, for a voter turnout of 12.7%, the lowest on record. Usually the Arlington Heights municipal voter turnout (ballots cast) is between 17% and 21.5%. Cook County voter turnout on April 5, 2011 based on ballots cast was 16%.