Throwback Thursday: Presidential Elections in Cherry Hill Township

Cherry Hill voters have overwhelmingly voted Democrat in the last five presidential elections, but the number of voters participating in elections has seen a sizable dip in recent years.

On Tuesday, Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton after reaching 279 electoral votes.

Locally, Cherry Hill Township residents voted strongly in favor of Clinton. According to unofficial results from the Camden County Board of Elections, about 61.2 percent of Cherry Hill voters chose Clinton for president on Tuesday, while only about 33.4 percent of Cherry Hill voters chose Trump.

Cherry Hill Township voting Democrat is nothing new. Nearly At least 59 percent of voters have voted for the Democratic nominee for president in every year since 2000. What has changed the last 16 years is the number of voters participating during presidential election years.

Check out how Cherry Hill voters have cast their ballots for President of the United States since 2000. All of the information is courtesy the Camden County Board of Elections.

2000 United States Presidential Election

Al Gore (D) — 62.3 percent

George W. Bush (R) — 34.1 percent

Ralph Nader (I) — 2.6 percent

Harry Browne (Libertarian) — 0.3 percent

Percentage of participating voters — 76.6 percent

Al Gore won the 15 electoral votes in New Jersey in 2000. Cherry Hill voters cast their ballot for Gore at a higher percentage than New Jersey voters overall. Gore earned 56.1 percent of the votes in New Jersey overall. Ralph Nader has the best performance for a third party or independent candidate in the past five elections, earning 2.6 percent of the vote in Cherry Hill.

2004 United States Presidential Election

John Kerry (D) — 59.9 percent

George W. Bush (R) — 39.3 percent

Ralph Nader (I) — 0.4 percent

Other — 0.3 percent

Percentage of participating voters — 77.9 percent

Incumbent president George W. Bush increased his share of Cherry Hill voters by more than five percent in 2000, but still fell well short of John Kerry’s 59.9 percent of the vote. Cherry Hill voters again voted more heavily Democrat than the rest of the state. Kerry won New Jersey with 52.9 percent of vote. Voter participation in Cherry Hill also saw a slight uptick from 2000.

2008 United States Presidential Election

Barack Obama (D) — 61.4 percent

John McCain (R) — 36.1 percent

Other — 0.5 percent

Ralph Nader (I) — 0.4 percent

Bob Barr (Libertarian) — 0.3 percent

Percentage of participating voters — 74.1 percent

Cherry Hill voters overwhelmingly voted for Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the 2008 election with 61.4 percent of the vote. Obama’s percentage was slightly smaller than the percentage of the vote Gore earned in 2000. The trend of declining voter participation during presidential election years began this year in Cherry Hill, with participation down 3.8 percent from 2004.

2012 United States Presidential Election

Barack Obama (D) — 60.5 percent

Mitt Romney (R) — 37.9 percent

Gary Johnson (L) — 0.5 percent

Jill Stein (G) — 0.3 percent

Other — 0.3 percent

Percentage of participating voters — 68.2 percent

Republican candidate Mitt Romney faired slightly better in 2012 than John McCain did in 2008, gaining 1.8 percent more of the vote. Romney’s performance also is the best for a non-sitting president Republican in the last five presidential elections. Despite this, Obama still earned greater than 60 percent of Cherry Hill’s vote. For the first time in the 21st century, voter participation in a presidential election year dips below 70 percent in Cherry Hill.

2016 United States Presidential Election (Note: Numbers do not include provisional ballots)

Hillary Clinton (D) — 62.5 percent

Donald Trump (R) –31.9 percent

Gary Johnson (L) — 2.1 percent

Jill Stein (G) — 0.8 percent

Other — 0.4 percent

Percentage of participating voters — 68.3 percent

Trump had the worst performance for any Republican candidate in the last five elections on Tuesday. He earned 6 percent fewer votes than Romney in 2012. Despite this, Clinton only earned earned 2 percent more votes in Cherry Hill than Obama earned in 2012. This year was the best performance for third party and independent candidates in Cherry Hill since 2000. About 3.3 percent of voters chose Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, or another third party candidate. Participation rates were nearly the same as 2012, with 68.3 percent of registered voters voting either at the polls or by a mail-in ballot.