The numbers are in!

Have you ever wondered how the 2nd Ward performed in Philadelphia when compared to other Wards? How about your particular Division? Well, the official voter file is in and we’ve crunched the numbers.

Important notes:

All statistics have been rounded up or down. So, some numbers may appear to be a statistical dead heat.
All charts reflect registered Democrats.

So, let’s dive in…

% Turnout

We beat the city percent turnout by about 14%. And compared to the last comparable General in 2019, our voter turnout increased by 2.6%, about 2.5x that of Philadelphia. Check out the Leaderboard below for where we finished city-wide.

% Turnout Leaderboard

We came in 5th in the City, only about 4% away from the 22nd Ward in 2nd place. (Please note the Open Wards shown in green. What’s an Open Ward?)

2nd Ward and City Turnout History

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Percent Turnout History - Democrats

Philadelphia 2023 General Election Percent Turnout History - Democrats

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Turnout History - Democrats

Philadelphia 2023 General Election Turnout History - Democrats

Unfortunately, we are in a downward trajectory for percent voter turnout. The 2020 General at 81% turnout broke all of our records and shows what we can do. We did beat our comparable 2019 General, which is fantastic.

However, in terms of raw votes, we are in an upward trajectory. We beat the 2019 General by 1,281 votes. The 2020 General at 12,272 votes is the max for our ward.

% and Raw Turnout compared to average of General Elections 2016 through 2022

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2016-2023 General Election Percent Turnout - Democrats

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2016-2023 General Election Turnout - Democrats

The city decreased 12.7% in percent voter turnout compared to the average of General elections 2016-2022. The 2nd Ward showed a 10.3% decrease.

In terms of raw voter turnout, the city showed a 27.1% decrease compared to a 10.5% decrease by the 2nd Ward over this period. (The city saw a 8.2% raw turnout increase over the 2019 General while the 2nd Ward increased 20%.)

One thing to keep in mind is that the 2020 General tended to skew voter turnout due to record voter participation.

Turnout Voting Method

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Turnout by Percent Voting Method - Democrats

This shows the raw number of votes cast per Ward broken into Mail, At Polls, Absentee, and Provisional. The 2nd Ward generally matched the city in terms of voting method.

Turnout Voting Method comparison to last General

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2022-2023 General Election Turnout by Percent Voting Method - Democrats

It looks like voting by mail is stabilizing.

% voted early

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Percent Early Voting - Democrats

Voted early means:

Mail-in voting, Civilian overseas, Absentee
Any voting method other than At Polls (AP)

% Mail-in Ballots spoiled

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Spoiled Ballots - Democrats

Spoiling a mail-in ballot means bringing it to the polls and voting in person, possibly even provisionally. But, despite the name, spoiled ballots are not a bad thing, per se. It may mean that the voter forgot to mail their ballot on time, and since drop boxes have decreased in number, that person decided to bring their ballot to the polls. (We’d much rather have a spoiled ballot than no vote at all!) Overall, the number of spoiled ballots have stabilized in both the city and 2nd Ward.

% Mail-in Ballots Unreturned

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Unreturned Mail Ballots - Democrats

Philadelphia 2nd Ward 2023 General Election Unreturned Mail Ballots Leaderboard - Democrats

(This was corrected by subtracting the number of mail-in ballots that were spoiled.) The 2nd Ward was within 3% of 5th place. We beat the city average by 1%.