Why didn't most Democrats bother to vote on Nov. 2? They're apathetic, lazy, stupid or offer your own explanation or excuse

EASIEST WAY TO VOTE: The postage-paid, mail-in election ballot is by far the easiest way to vote, and if you don't want to take it to a drop box, like this one in Hackensack, you can leave it or give it to your mail carrier.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Scores of apathetic or lazy Democrats didn't vote on Nov. 2, and the next day the news media reported the contest between Gov. Phil Murphy and his Republican opponent was "too close to call."

Murphy eventually prevailed by 73,814 votes over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who is an ally of Donald J. Trump, according to updated results published by The New York Times on Nov. 10.

Murphy was the first Democratic governor reelected in New Jersey in 44 years, The Times said, and "his aggressive approach to controlling the [Covid-19] pandemic became a focal point of the bid to unseat him."

Voter affiliation

As of Oct. 1, there were 2,577,698 registered Democrats, who far outnumbered the 1,505,265 registered Republicans in New Jersey, according to state officials.

The election should have been a slam dunk for Murphy, even though governors in New Jersey aren't  elected in the same year as the presidential election.

Murphy received a total of 1,304,954 votes with more than 95 percent of voting precincts reporting -- or about half of the registered Democrats.

Ciattarelli got 1,231,140 votes of the 1,505,265 Republicans registered -- a much bigger turnout by the challenger's party than by Murphy's party.

Registered voters unaffiliated with a party totaled 2,396,910.

What happened?

So, why didn't Democrats step up and give Murphy another 4-year term in a decisive fashion?

Was the governor's Covid-19 mandates really to blame or were Democrats once again beset by apathy, stupidity or downright laziness?

Ciattarelli's TV commercials during the campaign claimed local property taxes had "skyrocketed" in New Jersey, but didn't explain what the governor could do to cut them.

One of the biggest components of the property tax bill  in Hackensack supports local public schools, so was Ciatterelli saying he would slash state aid to local schools, if he were elected, to lower property taxes?

Where was the media?

I never heard any reporter ask that question to the Republican candidate for governor.

If, in fact, local property taxes rose -- "skyrocketed" is more of an allegation than fact -- that was due to the superheated housing market during the pandemic, when "home prices nationwide have risen by an astonishing 24.8 percent since March 2020," The Times reports.

 

COPPING OUT: There are more than 265,000 registered Democrats in Bergen County, compared to 150,811 registered Republicans. But Governor Murphy received only 140,654 votes in the county on Nov. 2, according to this graphic from The New York Times, which updated the numbers on Nov. 10. Murphy was reelected, but his winning margin in Bergen County was only 14,230 votes.