Schmidt Compiles Historical Voter Data

Would you believe there was ever an election in Philadelphia that attracted a 94 percent turnout at the polls?

Well, there was - the 1936 presidential election.

That historical nugget is contained in a report released Wednesday by City Commissioner Al Schmidt, whose office compiled voter registration and turnout data from 1936 to 2013. The report is part of an "ongoing effort to make election data more accessible to the public," said Schmidt, one of the three officials who run Philadelphia elections.

In October, Schmidt and his Democratic colleagues, Anthony Clark and Stephanie Singer, unveiled a new website, www.philadelphiavotes.com, that includes a ton of information, maps and tools on elections, voting and running for office.

Much of the information was not easily attainable before the website was started. Schmidt and Singer both campaigned in 2011 on more election transparency and sharing data with the public.

Wednesday's report, which is not yet on the website, tracks the historical shift in voter registration from a Republican majority in in the 1940's to a Democratic majority by the mid 1950's. The report also has vote totals and turnout figures for presidential, mayoral and other elections in Philadelphia stretching back to the Depression.

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