Community Corner

Election 2011: Behind the Numbers

What does the Republican victory mean for North Haven?

The big question of yesterday's municipal election was less if Republican incumbent Mike Freda would win, but by how much.

The end result, in the words of more than one patron at the RTC's post-polling gathering at Fantasia's, was a "blowout" for the GOP.

Today, the right-leaning North Haven Way described Freda's 85.5% plurality as "a historic win" for the party. The New Haven Register confirmed the result as "record-setting."

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The important issue now becomes why the figures came out the way they did.

Turnout began slow, with 11% of registered voters visiting polls by 11:00 a.m., 19% by 1:00 p.m., and 21% by 2:00 p.m. In the final six hours, turnout jumped to between the high thirties and low forties, depending on the race.

Find out what's happening in North Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Based on numbers provided by the RTC, it was unaffiliated voters that settled the election. By 2:00 p.m., registered Republican and Democratic turnout was in a dead heat. Unaffiliated turnout surpassed both parties by several hundred people.

 some voters and party members expressed the belief that voter apathy may have contributed to the lopsided result. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats ran particularly aggressive campaigns.

The overarching politeness of the race, coupled with DTC's repeated claims that this was a year for rebuilding their party, may have suggested to some residents that the race was over before it even began.

What are your thoughts on the election? Do you view the outcome as a ringing endorsement for Freda's leadership, or simply a referendum on the status-quo?

What was the sentiment behind the numbers that led to the overwhelming victory for North Haven Republicans?

Share your opinion in the comments!


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