News-Letter

Media Credit: Laura Bitner Despite low voter turnout, incumbent Mary Pat Clarke was able to secure a resounding victory in Tuesday's 14th district primary election.

Two people stood in opposition to Mary Pat Clarke in Tuesday's primary election, both of whom posed little threat to the incumbent Democratic councilwoman. As of Wednesday, according to the Baltimore City Board of Elections, Clarke held 95 percent of the vote in the 14th district, which includes both the University and the Charles Village neighborhood.

Even though she is largely unpopular in the Hopkins community, her opponents have done nothing to secure the student vote. But students themselves have taken little initiative to voice their opposition at the polls.

"It is difficult to get students to vote: most undergraduates are registered in their home districts, not in Baltimore. Also, traditionally, voters aged 18-25 have a low turnout at the polls," said Matthew Crenson, Professor Emeritus in the Political Science department.

Clarke gained notoriety among the Hopkins student body after testifying against the Phi Psi fraternity during last year's zoning battle. Although some students lament her incumbency in the 14th district, few candidates have opposed her.

"Given the challenging academic environment at Hopkins and most of the undergraduates' transient relationship with Baltimore, I wouldn't expect local politics to be a top priority among the Hopkins student body," John Spurrier, vice-president of the Charles Village Civic Association (CVCA), said.

However low voter turnout is a phenomenon not unique to students. According to the Board of Elections, only 28 percent of registered Baltimore voters participated in the Tuesday elections.

"People think they don't have the choices to make change," Curt Anderson, a district 43 member of the Maryland House of Delegates, which covers Baltimore's 14th district, said. "I thought people would show up today, but they didn't."

Though Clarke may have received the majority of the vote, in a district of 48,000 residents, only 5,962 actually voted for her. Given this number, which is not much greater than the number of undergrads, the student body seems to be a potentially powerful electoral force.

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