Voter Turnout in Moorestown Nearly Double State Average

Moorestown prides itself on the ways in which it sets itself apart (and occasionally above) other towns in South Jersey and suburban Philadelphia.

Money’s Best Place to Live in 2005. One of Philadelphia Magazine’s this year. Top-notch schools.

And here’s another feather in its cap: Voter turnout in Moorestown Tuesday was nearly double the turnout state- and countywide.

Out of slightly more than 14,000 registered voters in Moorestown, just a little shy of 7,000 voted Tuesday, for a turnout of 49.59 percent, according to the county clerk’s office.

Burlington County had a 27 percent turnout and across New Jersey only about 26 percent of registered voters—a new record low—took to the polls, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

It certainly doesn’t take a genius to deduce why Moorestown had such a high turnout. PREIT’s referendum questions dominated the public consciousness for months leading up to the election and the implications of the vote—for those on both the “Yes” and “No” sides—clearly weighed heavily on voter’s minds.

Most voters typically stay home in a non-presidential election, or when there are no local races. With nearly half of registered voters showing up Tuesday, it’s clear they were driven by the referendums.

“It shows the electorate is very passionate, on both sides,” said Burlington County Clerk Timothy Tyler. “Voter turnout when there’s a local question … is usually higher.”

Poll workers at various districts said Tuesday that they’d had a steady stream of voters since the polls opened. Just before the 5 p.m. rush, a handful of districts were already reporting 30 and 40 percent turnout.

“You wouldn’t be near that number without the issues (the referendums),” said District 19 poll worker Thomas Horner.

District 17 poll worker Carol Juliano said only 25 people voted in the primary in April.

“It was a long day,” she said.

Mayor John Button said he was very pleased and proud to see Moorestonians so engaged with the issues.

The fact that so many turned out “also provides some ,” he said.