There has been a good deal of discourse around voter turnout in the City of Syracuse mayoral primary. So lets look at the facts as they stand according to data from the Onondaga County Board of Elections:
Number of Democrats eligible 39051
Number of Democrats who have voted 7792
This will grow as affidavits and late arriving vote by mail are added to the count. Lets look at turnout in city wide mayoral primaries going back a few cycles
2021 14.73%
2017 22.69%
2013 18.56%
2009 24.41%
This puts this year’s primary squarely in the middle of the last five cycles. A marked improvement from 4 years ago but not quite as large as other years where there are open seats 2009 & 2017.
While no one is celebrating approximately 20% turnout, it is not abnormal for a primary. In fact it is expected average turnout.
But if you don’t want to look at just mayoral years lets do all the dem primaries in the City of Syracuse since 2009
2024 Federal 13.38%
2024 Presidential 5.83%
2023 local 13.10%
2022 Fed 16.26%
2022 State 13.09%
2021 Local 15.32%
2020 Combined 29.89%
2019 Local 13.19%
2018 State 26.11%
2018 Fed 19.86%
2017 Local 22.69%
2016 Fed 11.89%
2016 Pres 39.67%
2015 Local 13.69%
2014 State 11.13%
2013 local 18.56%
2010 State 14.08%
2009 Local 24.41%
So this Democratic primary is the highest since 2020 and higher than 13 of the last 18 primaries and two of the primaries that beat it are Presidential primaries.
If anything this year for Democrats in the City of Syracuse, this is an above average primary. Even if primaries themselves are below average elections I can’t see how the criticism of low turnout is a constructive or valid one.
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Dustin M. Czarny 