Politics & Government
Do You Live In Politically Motivated or Politically Apathetic Fair Lawn?
A Patch analysis of three years of election data teases out how often different parts of town go to the polls on election day.
Nearly 72 percent of registered Fair Lawn voters cast ballots in the presidential election last November, down from 77.6 percent in 2008.
Of those who voted, a majority put their trust in Barack Obama, who received 54.1 percent of Fair Lawn's vote in 2012 and 53.2 percent in 2008.
Elections held in non-presidential years show predictably lower turnout. Only 39 percent of registered voters participated in the 2011 borough council election, for example.
Find out what's happening in Fair Lawn-Saddle Brookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In any election, however, there are pockets of Fair Lawn that get out the vote and others that stay home.
Analysis of voting data from the 2008, 2011 and 2012 elections has revealed four "high turnout districts" and four "low turnout districts" in town. Where does your neighborhood fall along that spectrum?
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There's nowhere in Fair Lawn that gets out of the vote better than District 19, where a higher percentage of registered voters cast ballots in 2008 and 2012 than in any other municipal district.
District 19ers, perhaps subconsciously motivated to vote by their proximity to Fair Lawn's political and educational hubs, comprise the district directly across Fair Lawn Avenue from the library and municipal building that stretches south to Morlot Avenue, encompassing Forrest School and abutting Fair Lawn High School.
If you live in District 15, home to many of the borough's renters on Pollitt and Chandler drives, you're a resident of what is perhaps the most politically apathetic section of town. Coincidentally, it's also the most likely to vote Democratic.
Below I've generated a list of high voter turnout and low voter turnout districts in Fair Lawn, based on data from the 2008, 2011 an 2012 elections.
*Districts listed in bold are ones that finished in the top 5 or bottom 5 in the percentage of voter turnout in at least two of the three elections analyzed. See the attached Fair Lawn election map to get a better visual idea what districts comprise your part of town.
High Voter Turnout (Districts 5, 9, 12, 19)
Voter Turnout - 2012 Voter Turnout (Council) - 2011 Voter Turnout - 2008 71.8% - District 19 46.7% - District 5 77.44% - District 19 69.1% - District 23 46.2% - District 13 76.59% - District 9 68.9% - District 12 45.3% - District 14 76.48% - District 3 67.9% - District 9 40.7% - District 4 75.32% - District 5 67.4% - District 5 40.2% - District 12 74.62% - District 1Low Voter Turnout (Districts 2, 15, 17, 22)
Voter Turnout - 2012 Voter Turnout (Council) - 2011 Voter Turnout - 2008 62.5% - District 11 32.2% - District 22 67.9% - District 15 63.1% - District 15 32.2% - District 21 68.5% - District 2 64.1% - District 20 33.0% - District 17 70.7% - District 17 64.6% - District 2 33.2% - District 15 70.8% - District 13 64.6% - District 17 34.7% - District 6 71.1% - District 22Polling Stations
Districts Place and Address19
JOHN A. FORREST SCHOOL; 10-00 HOPPER AVENUE
16,17FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL; 14-10 BERDAN AVENUE
11,12FAIR LAWN RECREATION/COMMUNITY CENTER; 10-10 KIPP STREET
22, 23MEMORIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL; 12-00 1st STREET
18 LYNCREST SCHOOL; 10-16 MORLOT AVENUE 1,8,9,10 WARREN POINT SCHOOL; 30-01 BROADWAY 2,7THOMAS JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL; 35-01 MORLOT AVENUE
MAURICE PINE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
21 WESTMORELAND SCHOOL; 16-50 PARMELEE AVENUEGet more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
