Polling places get busier once people get home from work, but it seems doubtful this primary will come close to matching 2010’s turnout of about 135,000 voters. Shortly before 6 PM, 481 people had come through the polling place at Marie Reed Community Center on 18th St., NW, in Adams Morgan, making it unlikely to match the 994 who voted there four years ago.
The plaza outside the polling place featured a fuller lineup of mayoral campaigns, with people sporting T-shirts and literature for Vince Gray, Tommy Wells, Muriel Bowser, and Andy Shallal. Just as Gray’s leaflets east of the Anacostia River featured a message from Marion Barry, his literature in Ward 1 comes printed in English and Spanish for the large Latino population there.
But Ward 1 is also home to one of the few competitive down-ballot races, as incumbent Council member Jim Graham faces a strong challenge from Brianne Nadeau. Their contest got a bit more spotlight last week when Graham publicly confronted Nadeau over a home loan she received in 2009, but the spat is still unfamiliar to several voters exiting the precinct at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School, where Nadeau is greeting voters.
“I just think he’s pretty corrupt, like most politicians here,” says Taryn McKinnon. McKinnon, 26, is an example of the thousands of new residents who have moved into Ward 1 as neighborhoods like Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, Shaw have become younger, wealthier, and whiter as old row houses make way for modern, mixed-use developments filled with hip restaurants and pricey apartments.
McKinnon is more focused on the mayor than her Council member, though.
“If Vince Gray gets re-elected, I would blame myself,” she says.
The precinct captain inside the school reports 402 voters through 6:30, a figure she puts on par with 2010. But even though the line is getting longer as people stop to vote on the way home, it does not appear to match the last mayoral primary, when 876 people came through.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Voting Picks Up as People Come Home, but Turnout Remains Light
The polling places get a bit more crowded in the evening, but not by much.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Smaller Crowds, Big Emotions for Army’s 250th: What We Heard Around DC
DC Pedestrian Killed by Truck Carrying Tank From Trump’s Parade, Kristi Noem Went to Hospital for Allergic Reaction, and Most Virginia Primary Results Are In
PHOTOS: “No Kings” Protests Draw Thousands in DC Area
Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide
Washingtonian Magazine
June Issue: Pride Guide
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
“Mean Mugging” at Ward 8 Candidate Forum Leads to Arrest
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
More from News & Politics
Trump Roams White House in Search of an Audience, Dismay in Richmond Cost Levar Stoney, and Miss Pixie’s Will Close
DC Pedestrian Killed by Truck Carrying Tank From Trump’s Parade, Kristi Noem Went to Hospital for Allergic Reaction, and Most Virginia Primary Results Are In
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Army Says Tanks Didn’t Damage DC’s Streets; Trump Attends, Leaves G-7 Summit; and an Alligator Got Escorted Out of Fairfax
5 Things to Know About the New Trump Smartphone
PHOTOS: Army 250 Festival and Parade
Trump’s Damp Military Parade Overshadowed by Weekend of Political Violence, Protests; Dems Turn Out Early for Virginia Primary; Washington Post Journalists Hacked
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?