Coleman wins Des Moines City Council primary
Posted on October 10, 2007 in City Government, Politics by DM
Here are the results of Tuesday’s City Council primary election:
Chris Coleman (incumbent): 67.4 %
Josh Daines: 23.1%
Seth Galinsky: 8.5%
Write-In: 1%
The Polk County election office website showed that 3,566 people voted.
Update:
While Chris Coleman easily won two thirds of the votes cast in yesterday’s city council primary election, I have to wonder if the primary wasn’t a waste of money for the citizens of Des Moines. The total number of ballots cast represents less than three percent of registered voters in the city, according to the Register, yet staging the primary cost about $75,000. Which means it cost us all $75,000 so less than three percent of us could vote.
So here’s something to think about: What if we change the law to trigger a primary if there are more than four candidates for the office, instead of more than two? That way, we save ourselves the money of having the primary but we don’t risk over-parsing the voting pool. Other upsides to this? Downsides?
A note about vote totals: I got mine (above) from the Polk County Election Office website. The Register reported the same totals per candidate, but when they added it up they got 3,591 ballots cast. I added the same numbers and got 3,566. I don’t know if I’ve missed something, or if the Register can’t use a calculator. Either one’s a distinct possibility.
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2 comments to “Coleman wins Des Moines City Council primary”
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Hi Janet,
Great idea. Let’s save some money. When I heard the numbers, I was amazed at the low voter turnout - but then there was not much press about the primary either.
The result was not a surprise.
Sandy
Sandy, you’re right about the press; there was much more written about the school board election. Hopefully we’ll hear more from the candidates as the general election draws closer. ~ J.