Estimated information on local voter turnout for this election has been released. Take a look at the numbers:
We asked NBC10's Steve Highsmith to give his interpretation of the numbers, especially in comparison to the voter turnout from the 2008 election.
In spite of the lower voter turnout across the board, Highsmith told NBC10 people shouldn't read too much into it and that it was still a good overall turnout. Highsmith also pointed out the fact that Obama's margin of victory in Philadelphia during this year's election (460,000) was close to his margin in 2008 (478,000). The major difference however was Obama's margin of victory in Pennsylvania as a whole. While it was around 620,000 four years ago, it was only around 283,000 during this year's election.
"You can argue that he won Pennsylvania because of that margin in Philadelphia," said Highsmith.
In regards to the drop in turnout in New Jersey, Highsmith cited Hurricane Sandy as the biggest reason why and also noted that there was "not as much drama" in the local New Jersey elections in comparison to 2008.
Highsmith also spoke on whether or not he believed Governor Christie's praise for Obama's response to Hurricane Sandy played a role in Obama winning.
"It did but we'll never know how much," said Highsmith. "Whether it did or not is not as important as whether Republicans believe it did."
Highsmith also stated that while the president's response to Sandy placed positive attention on him, he did not believe it was the deciding factor in the election.
Looking forward to the next four years, Highsmith believes the immigration issue and the Latino vote in particular will end up playing a huge role in the political landscape. According to Highsmith, Obama's victory is proof that as of now, the majority of America does not blame Obama for the economic crisis.
