Results Are In: Bowser, Mendelson Victorious; Yes to Initiative 77
By • June 20, 2018 0 395
Primary election results for July 19 are in: Mayor Muriel Bowser, District Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, At-large Council member Anita Bonds and other council members won their party’s nomination. In this case, the Democratic Party — and all candidates’ victories were unsurprising.
The one issue in question was Initiative 77 — getting a “Yes” on a basic wage increase over tipped wages, 55 percent to 44 percent for “No.” However, remember the District Council has the power to amend or void ballot initiatives. Ten of 13 council members opposed the initiative.
Click here to view the complete numbers from the D.C. Board of Elections.
In Georgetown, with its two polling places, voter turnout was low. No one expected the busy and exciting election day like the one on Nov. 8, 2016, and the slow day on June 19 could not have been more different.
At Christ Church at 31st & O Streets, Precinct 5 (east side of Georgetown) saw a voter turnout of more than 10 percent with about 350 voters having cast ballots, as of 5 p.m. on election day, with a total 3,511 registered voters in the district as of May 31, 2018. Final percentile: 15.52 — total votes cast: 545.
Board of Election officials said there had been a morning pre-work rush, with an expected post-work rush in the evening, but that it had been a slow day overall. Officials also said that slightly more than half of the voters chose to cast paper ballots, rather than use the digital marking system. The digital system also produces a paper ballot which is then machine-counted along with the other ballots.
At Duke Ellington School of the Arts at 35th & R Streets, Precinct 6 (west side of Georgetown) saw a steady but slow and lower turnout for a primary in a midterm year. As of 5:45 p.m., election day, 332 ballots were cast. The total number of registered voters as of May 31, 2018, was 4,457, with 2,321 of those voters having registered Democrat. Final percentile: 9.89 percent — total votes cast: 441.
The precinct captain said a school summer program had still been using the school during the day, necessitating extra caution to make sure adult voters didn’t have contact with minor students. The newly renovated school was more accessible for seniors and neighbors than at the Georgetown Public Library’s basement where voting took place in November 2016 during the school’s renovation.
https://electionresults.dcboe.org/election_results/2018-Primary-Election
