Letter: Local voting patterns have skewed left

TO THE EDITOR:

I’ve done a deep dive into voting patterns of UNC students living on or near campus who are registered in Orange County, focusing on 1992-1996, and 2008-2016 presidential elections.

There are five precincts including UNC campus housing: Country Club, East Franklin, Greenwood, Lincoln and Mason Farm.

Precinct boundaries are unchanged since 1973 and there has been minimal housing construction. Before 1994, registration was only in-person with a registration official. Mail-in registration and volunteer-led registration drives started in 1994.

Early voting began in 2000 with an on-campus location since 2004.

What I discovered was not only a huge voting surge in the last 12 years, but also a dramatic turn leftward in student voting patterns.

Total votes cast in those five precincts:

2016: 9,464

2012: 8,519

2008: 9,348

1996: 5,936

1992: 5,924

Presidential results:

2016: Clinton 80 percent, Trump 14 percent

2012: Obama 74 percent, Romney 24 percent

2008: Obama 77 percent, McCain 23 percent

1996: Clinton 66 percent, Dole 30 percent

1992: Clinton 65 percent, Dole 24 percent (Perot 11 percent)

Other factoids: The 2016 gubernatorial race in the five campus precincts was Cooper 83 percent, McCrory 15 percent.

Of 9,000 votes cast in five Carrboro precincts (Carrboro, Lions Club, North Carrboro, OWASA and Town Hall) the vote was Clinton 88 percent, Trump 8 percent. In Town Hall precinct (center city Carrboro) the vote was Clinton 92 percent, Trump 5 percent.

Gerry Cohen

Former Chapel Hill Town Council Member