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RFH 2010, Cover Stories, Village Election

Election Leftovers

Thu, Jun 23, 2011

Margaret Miller may have been the only candidate on the ballot in Tuesday's election, but others received write-in ballots as 40 percent of the village's voters went to the polls.

About 45 percent of Hamilton's registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday's election for mayor and trustees.

There are 984 registered voters in the village, according to the Madison County Board of Elections (565 women and 419 men). Of that number, 395 went to the polls on Tuesday and 48 cast absentee ballots. (By comparison, 54 percent of Americans voted in the last presidential election; about 41 percent of those in the U.S. voted in last year's mid-term elections.) 

Only 37.3 percent of them cast votes in the mayoral election. Margaret Miller's 346 votes amounts to 35.2 percent of the total registered voters.

In the trustees race, a total of 825 votes were cast; voters could vote for two of the four candidates running. The results were:

  • Anne Class' 242 votes = 29.33 percent of the votes cast;
  • Debbie Kliman's 201 = 24.36 percent;
  • Sam Cooper's 196 = 23.76 percent;
  • Meredith Leland Getchonis' 178 = 21.58 percent.

Others Besides Miller Received Mayoral Votes

Nine people received votes for mayor in Tuesday's village election, but only one was on the ballot.

Margaret Miller ran unopposed and received 346 votes. But, eight other people received write-in votes. They included:

  • Wanda Warren Berry, five votes;
  • Arnold Fisher, three;
  • Carl Albrecht, three;
  • William Porta, three;
  • Jack Loop, one;
  • Russ Lura, one;
  • Suzanne Collins, one;
  • Brendon Fox, one.

There also were three votes that were voided.

Most of the write-ins have some sort of political connection. Berry is a retired Colgate professor and chair of the Town of Hamilton Democrats. Albrecht and Collins are former trustees. Lura is a trustee. Fisher, until last year, was village justice for many years.

Hamilton's Registrations

A look at the registrations of voters in the village shows some interesting numbers. According to the Madison County Board of Elections, there are 984 registered voters in Hamilton. Of them:

  • 565 (57 percent) are women;
  • 419 (42 percent) are men;
  • 457 (46 percent) are Democrats;
  • 274 (27 percent) are Republicans;
  • 201 (20 percent) are Unaffiliated; 
  • 32 (3 percent) are Independent;
  • 12 (1 percent) are Conservatives;
  •  6 (Less than 1 percent) are Greens;
  •  2 (Less than 1 percent) are Working Families.
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