Some D.C. residents were surprised to learn that the adage “every vote counts” did not apply to them when it came to the nation’s first presidential primary yesterday.
The District scheduled the nation’s first primary this season to focus national attention on the city’s lack of a vote in Congress, but officials made the results nonbinding when the move angered the Democratic National Committee.
Voters were split on whether those officials made the right decision.
“It’s ridiculous, a meaningless primary,” said Richard Rosendall, 47, a computer specialist who said he was going to write to the D.C. Democratic State Committee to protest the election and its $350,000 cost.
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics spokesman Bill O’Field said $350,000 is typical for a citywide election and covers the cost of staffing the city’s 142 precincts and printing ballots.
Five of the nine major candidates asked that their names not appear on the ballot, leaving the Rev. Al Sharpton, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich as the only widely recognizable candidates in the contest.
Some voters did not learn until they showed up at the polls that so few names would appear on the ballot.
“I’m not happy about it at all,” said Cornelia Woodfork, 60, a retired federal government employee who cast her vote at Mount Horeb Baptist Church at 2914 Bladensburg Road NE. “I didn’t know the votes didn’t count. I think that was probably a detriment to some people.”
Eugene Allen, 74, said he knew something was different as soon as he showed up to vote at LaSalle Elementary School at 501 Riggs Road NE.
“I didn’t know if I showed up at the right place,” said Mr. Allen, who is retired. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it where nobody was electioneering.”
Polling places typically are crowded with campaign workers lobbying for their candidates, but that wasn’t the case yesterday. Only Mr. Sharpton’s supporters did heavy campaigning at polling places. In some cases, the effort by the Sharpton campaign appeared to pay off.
“It’s important to vote, but your vote should count,” said Tameka Rembert, 18, who voted for Mr. Sharpton in her first official election. “If it doesn’t count, then why bother showing up?”
The early primary was largely ceremonial. D.C. voters will head to the polls again on Feb. 14 to select 28 delegates in caucus elections, the cost of which is paid for by the D.C. Democratic Party. The delegates will choose the party’s presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Boston on July 26.
The only candidate in town yesterday was Mr. Sharpton, who began a tour of polling places about 8 a.m. at Backus Middle School in the 5100 block of South Dakota Avenue NE.
“We need to get people to know around the country that we need statehood,” Mr. Sharpton said as students began to arrive for school while voters entered the back door. “If people don’t vote, people around the country will not see the issue of statehood for the District.”
As she left her voting site, Belinda Bell, 46, said, “The number of voters will help the cause. I came out to let my voice be heard. I support statehood.”
Voter turnout was light yesterday. Only 33 of 4,000 registered voters had cast their ballots in the first hour after 7 a.m. at Backus.
“That’s light for us,” said Patricia Young, 37.
An hour later, 165 residents had voted at Foundry Methodist Church. “It is low but it’s been steady. This is a pretty dependable precinct,” a poll worker said.
Many of the voters said they cast ballots through sheer force of habit.
“I vote at every election and this one wasn’t going to be any different,” said Edith Mebane, who voted at Takoma Elementary School, 7010 Piney Branch Road NW. “That’s my civic duty.”
“I came out because I thought the right person should win,” said Mattie Jones, 61, a supporter of Mr. Dean. “I always vote, and I never gave much thought to how the results didn’t count.”
Earl Collins, 74, who is retired from the military, agreed with holding the primary early to focus attention on D.C. statehood rights. But Mr. Collins, who also voted at Takoma Elementary School, said the results should have been official.
“Everybody knows this isn’t an official election,” Mr. Collins said. “It just makes people think about how D.C. residents are second-class citizens.”
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