Be prepared for low turnout tomorrow, but is there hope for the April 1 general election?

Four years ago, Quincy had mayoral primaries on each side of the aisle.

The results from 2021 are below:

For those of you mathing (as the kids say these days) at home, that’s 17.3 percent turnout for the Feb. 23 primaries.

Then on April 6, 2021, a shade under 25 percent turned out in Adams County for the general election of City of Quincy officials and village presidents around the county. There were 8,145 people who voted for mayor in Quincy, where Republican Mike Troup took nearly 61 percent over Democrat Nora Baldner’s 39 percent.

So what does that mean for tomorrow’s primary? Not much besides a paltry turnout (more than likely).

With no Democrat mayoral primary this year (Linda Moore, who ran for city treasurer as a Democrat in 2021, is running as an independent for mayor awaiting the winner of of tomorrow’s GOP mayoral contest), that might make for a lower turnout. But there are three contested aldermanic races (Republican contests in Wards 3 and 5 and a Democrat primary in Ward 7), so that might even things out.

I believe there would be higher participation in our municipal elections if they were non-partisan or ranked choice. Five people run for mayor in a non-partisan primary and the final two square off in a general.

When Democrats had control of the Quincy City Council 20 years ago, many Republicans clamored for non-partisan elections and Democrats said “no thanks.” Now that the GOP is in firm control of most Quincy and Adams County offices, it’s Democrats who want to change things and Republicans are like, “Yeah, we’re good.”

It’s okay to avoid a primary for philosophical reasons, perhaps your party moved away from you or you have some sort of conflict (like being in the news business), but you should always make your voice heard in a general election.

I made a pledge to no longer vote in primaries when we started Muddy River News and that will be in effect tomorrow.

I’m not expecting much in terms of turnout tomorrow, but let’s shoot for getting closer to 50 percent than 25 percent on April 1.

J. Robert Gough is the publisher/general manager for Muddy River News.