posted on: 11/5/2020

Voter turnout in Dover’s General Election surpassed turnout in the last three presidential elections by 5 to 10 percent.

According to City Clerk Susan Mistretta, 80.1 percent of registered voters voted in Tuesday’s election, 10 percent higher than the 70.2 percent turnout in the 2016 General Election. In the 2012 General Election, the turnout was 75 percent and 76.7 percent in 2008. The turnout in the 2018 General Election, which did not include a presidential election, was 66.4 percent of all registered voters.

Dover’s election results from the Nov. 3, 2020, General Election can be viewed online at http://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/election-information/2020-state-general-election/.

In total, 19,387 voters in Dover cast their ballot out of a total of 24,193 registered voters on Nov. 3. The number of registered voters was 977 less than the 2016 General Election; however, 1,709 more people voted in the 2020 General Election than in 2016.

Dover tops 80 percent turnout in Nov. 3 General Election

posted on: 11/5/2020

Voter turnout in Dover’s General Election surpassed turnout in the last three presidential elections by 5 to 10 percent.

According to City Clerk Susan Mistretta, 80.1 percent of registered voters voted in Tuesday’s election, 10 percent higher than the 70.2 percent turnout in the 2016 General Election. In the 2012 General Election, the turnout was 75 percent and 76.7 percent in 2008. The turnout in the 2018 General Election, which did not include a presidential election, was 66.4 percent of all registered voters.

Dover’s election results from the Nov. 3, 2020, General Election can be viewed online at http://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/election-information/2020-state-general-election/.

In total, 19,387 voters in Dover cast their ballot out of a total of 24,193 registered voters on Nov. 3. The number of registered voters was 977 less than the 2016 General Election; however, 1,709 more people voted in the 2020 General Election than in 2016.

Dover’s Ward 3 posted the highest voter turnout of all the City’s six wards with 82.1 percent, followed by 81.2 percent in Ward 2, 80.6 percent in Ward 4, 80.4 percent in Ward 6, 78.2 percent in Ward 5, and 77.7 percent in Ward 1.

More than a third of the votes in this week’s General Election, 6,722 or 34.7 percent, were cast by absentee ballot. It was 9.6 percent in 2016, 8.6 percent in 2012, and 8.3 percent in 2008. This year, the state legislature passed House Bill 1266 that temporarily modified state election laws to allow absentee voter registration and absentee ballot casting for those concerned about COVID-19. Without further legislative action, the temporary law modifications are set to expire on Jan. 1, 2021.

Turnout for municipal elections has been much lower. In the 2019 municipal election, 4,857 out of 19,766 registered voters, or 24.6 percent, cast a ballot. In the 2017 municipal election, it was 15 percent.

Election results and voter turnout information for municipal, general and primary elections since 2006 are available on the City’s website at https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/election-information/previous-elections/prior-election-results/.

Contact the City Clerk’s Office at 516-6018 for more information.