TOPIC AREA
Neighborhood Action and Sense of Community

INDICATOR:

Percent of population ages 18 and over who voted
in general election, including absentee ballots

Why is this indicator important in Baltimore City?

The percent of people ages 18 and over who voted in the general election is an indicator of participation in civic life.

In Baltimore, this is indicator is used as a proxy indicator to reflect neighborhood action and participation in community life, since indicators to reflect this unique dynamic in Baltimore do not currently exist in a uniform way and are harder to measure.

This indicator helps to understand the level of civic involvement and is typically used in other cities.

What has been happening in Baltimore City?

In 2002, 32.7 percent of the population voted, a decrease of 3 percent from 2000, where 35.7 percent of the population voted.

In 2002, 59 percent of those registered to vote actually voted.

Definition:

This indicator reflects the number of people ages 18 and over who voted in the general elections out of all people of that age group in the area.

Calculation considerations:

This indicator reflects those who voted out of the entire population, rather than just out of those registered. This is because the number of registered voters changes year to year. In order to see real change in voter participation, a non-changing denominator needs to be used.

The general election in 2000 included a presidential election. In 2002, the gubernatorial and state elections took place. According to voter groups, voter participation drops in non-presidential election years.

The population 18 and over data come from the U.S. Census 2000.

--Convicted felons and non-citizens are not allowed to register or vote but are counted in the overall population number.
--College students are also considered in the total population number, as they are required to complete U.S. Census forms as if they were residents of the state in which they attend school, rather than in their home state. However, many students register and vote in their home states using the absentee ballot process.

Data source:

Baltimore City Board of Elections

Analysis:

Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance staff

Years tracked:

General election years 2000 and 2002

Geography:

Citywide, CSA, census tract

To access the Indicator:

Download Vital Signs 3

Activate the interactive mapping system

Obtain the Vital Signs by census tract

Download Community Statistical Area profiles

For more information about the Alliance and the Vital Signs, go to the website www.bnia.org.

To find out about your neighborhood, go to the Vital Signs section.

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