More than 166,000 people voted in the 2018 midterm elections in Onondaga County, a turnout higher than both the 2010 and 2014 midterms.

In 2014, 137,531 Onondaga County residents voted in the midterm elections, and in 2010, the number was slightly higher at 145,746 votes, according to data from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.

Experts attributed the jump in turnout to a more polarized electorate and a strong political momentum of people either supporting or opposing the current presidential administration.

Dustin Czarny, Democratic election commissioner for Onondaga County, said the high turnout is due to the “hyperpartisan mood of the country,” in which voters either completely stand behind President Donald Trump or are against him.

“The country is still divided, and races are becoming more and more competitive,” he said. “When that happens, we’re going to see higher turnout.”

Czarny said Onondaga County is most likely going to see a 60 to 65 percent turnout of eligible voters once affidavits and absentee ballots are counted. The turnout was 50 percent in 2014.

Record-high turnout was seen across New York state, as well. About 50 percent of the state’s eligible voters cast ballots in the 2018 election, according to state data. In 2014, only 31.5 percent of eligible voters participated, The Journal News reported.

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Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, said during the 20th century and modern era, there has been a “seesaw” between high voter turnout in presidential elections and low turnout in midterm elections.

The turnout was relatively high in Onondaga County for the 2018 midterm elections, but it was still lower than in presidential election years. In 2016, 212,839 people voted in Onondaga County, and in 2012, the turnout was 206,416.

Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said the midterm elections became a focus almost immediately after Trump’s election in 2016.

Much of that political momentum has been part of the movement resisting Trump and his administration, Reeher said.  

“All of that media attention and the on-the-ground grassroots activism has generated a much-heightened level of political attention and political interest among the electorate, and so you had a turnout that reflected that,” he said.

Voter turnout is determined by the election laws and the enthusiasm for candidates and the election, Neiheisel said.

Young voters have historically turned out in low numbers for all elections, but they have voted even less frequently in midterms elections. That changed this year.

Across the country, about 31 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast ballots, according to data released Wednesday by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

Rey Junco, a senior researcher at CIRCLE, said that number is the highest the center has seen since it began tracking youth voting in 1994. CIRCLE conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans, according to its website.

Junco said New York state didn’t stand out in terms of youth voter turnout — an estimated 31.2 percent of people aged between 18 and 29 voted — but other states did have record-high youth turnout.

“Some of the rhetoric, some of the policy initiatives and just more generally the activism that you’re seeing particularly in the resistance movement have been things that have appealed to younger voters,” Reeher said.

Young voters in North Dakota, Virginia and Michigan turned out at 45, 48 and 55 percent, respectively, according to CIRCLE’s estimates.

“It’s clear that youth have been more involved in activism, even more than two years ago,” Junco said. “It seems like there are issues youth have been motivated about that they really cared about.”

Shana Gadarian, an associate professor of political science at Maxwell, said more young voters cast ballots because many policies passed during Trump’s presidency have implications for their future, such as the Republican tax overhaul and changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Gadarian has taught at SU for seven years. She said the tone and excitement among students on campus during voting on Tuesday was different than in previous years. She also said the greater diversity of candidates in this election cycle, including more women of color and LGBTQ candidates, resulted in more excitement and enthusiasm for the midterms.

“Since the inauguration of Donald Trump, we’ve seen a great deal of civic engagement, particularly on the left, with people who are angry about the state of the country and his behavior and the policies his administration is pursuing,” Gadarian said.

More than 100 women are projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, shattering the current record of 84, according to the Washington Post. A total of 277 women ran for Congress and governor.

Democrats Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland are the first Native American women to be elected to Congress, and Colorado Democratic Rep. Jared Polis will be the first openly gay man to serve as governor, according to CNN.

John John Williams, a poll volunteer and chairperson for Onondaga County’s 9th voting ward, said he saw a “surprising” participation of voters, with more refugees and young people casting ballots in his ward than in previous midterm elections.  

Reeher said that, while more people were paying attention and motivated to vote in this election, the results also showed that the American electorate is becoming more polarized than it was two years ago.

“It’s not clear where we go from here politically as a country,” he said.

Published on November 7, 2018 at 10:44 pm

Contact Casey: [email protected] | @caseydarnell_