By DEBORAH E. LANS
GHENT—Abraham Lincoln said, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their backs to the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
For quite some time, scholars and others lamented that Americans had, in fact, turned their backs. In 2000 the scientist Robert D. Putnam chronicled the decline in all forms of social engagement in “Bowling Alone.” He wrote that “like the canary in the mining pit, voting is an instructive proxy measure of broader social change … and [d]eclining electoral participation is merely the most visible symptom of a broader disengagement from community life.”
In his book he wrote that whereas in 1960 nearly 63% of all voting age Americans voted in the presidential election, that number had slumped to 48.9% by 1996.
But things have changed.
The elections of 2018, 2020 and 2022 were among the highest turnout elections of their types in many decades, with 66% of the voting-eligible population turning out in 2020—the highest rate since 1900 according to the Pew Research Center.
How do things look in Columbia County? We are firmly facing the fire.
According to the July 2022 census, the county had 51,725 residents of voting age. The state’s voter enrollment statistics show that as of February 21, 2023, there were 45,631 active voters registered. That figure would include second home owners, who are eligible to register here (as long as they only register in one county).
In a shift from years past, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 18,126 to 12,149. Those with “no official party” (elsewhere called “independents”) numbered 11,847.
The full array of active voters according to state Board of Elections data was:
Democrat 18,126
Republican 12,149
Conservative 1,033
Working 275
Other 2,201
NOP 11,847
Moreover, the people of Columbia County do not simply register to vote, they turn out.
Mid-Hudson Community Profiles reports that in the 2020 presidential election year, 72% of eligible voters in Columbia County in fact voted, a rate that was higher than both the national rate and the rate in the mid-Hudson region. The rate in the 2022 gubernatorial race was nearly 66%.
While 2023 is not a presidential election year, many important slots are on the ballot including both County Court judgeships, the district attorney position, the County Coroner slot, supervisor and town board positions in a number of towns, two state ballot propositions, and a proposition in Chatham to create a community preservation fund.
Election Day is Tuesday November 7. October 23 is the last day for the Board of Elections to receive a mailed absentee ballot application, though the application may be presented in person at the county Board of Elections in Hudson until November 6. October 28 is the last day to register. Early voting begins October 28 and runs through November 5, and takes place at the Board of Elections at 401 State Street in Hudson and the Martin Glynn Municipal Building at 324 Church Street in Valatie.
The Board of Elections website (https://sites.google.com>columbiacountyny>elections) has sample ballots for every town/village/ward in Hudson and the hours and other details for in-person voting, as well as forms and other information. The board can also be reached at 518-828-3115.