Jul 31, 2007News: Gays Voted as a Block in Philadelphia Mayoral Election
By vanrozenheim
(Philadelphia, USA) - A study by Equality Forum, an international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, suggests that gay and lesbian voters voted as a block in the recent mayoral primary election in Philadelphia and that gay and lesbian voters were markedly more likely to support their candidate than their neighbors. The study found that gays voted by about two to every one vote for Michael Nutter, the winning candidate, in the citywide vote.
"The study is important both in its methodology and the result," said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. "It demonstrates that even in a field of gay-friendly candidates, a candidate who can provide the right cues can be the beneficiary of a GLBT block vote. Block voting increases a group's political importance and power."
The May 15, 2007 Democratic primary, which is tantamount to election in heavily-Democratic Philadelphia, featured five well-known politicians: two longtime Members of Congress, a former City Councilman, a State Representative who chairs the Appropriations Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and a wealthy former Deputy Mayor. The former City Councilman, Michael Nutter, spent most of the race lagging in fourth place before he surged to victory, garnering 36.6% of the citywide vote.
The Equality Forum study reviewed the votes cast in seven distinct Philadelphia gay neighborhoods and found that Nutter garnered 74% of the vote in these neighborhoods. A review of the top 12 Philadelphia tracts identified in the U.S. Census as having the most same-sex couples residing in the same household found that Nuttter received 69% of the vote in these census tracts.
The study compared the percentage of votes from the gay neighborhoods and census tracts to the percentage of votes each candidate received in the respective wards. The gay voting divisions averaged a 17% higher percentage vote for Nutter than the respective overall ward percentage.
"Nutter was viewed as a progressive outsider by a community that is perceived as outside the mainstream," said Lazin. "Nutter actively campaigned for the gay vote and sent cues that he embraced diversity and wanted to shake up the establishment for Philadelphia's benefit."
"We believe that our methodology can be used to measure GLBT voters in municipal, state and federal elections," said Lazin. "Our hope is that this study will encourage exit polls of GLBT voters in the 2008 federal primary and general elections. By focusing on areas across the nation with identifiable gay neighborhoods, an exit poll can generate a more comprehensive picture about GLBT voters and why they voted for a candidate."
Equality Forum is a GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus.
