The 2009 Longmont municipal election is coming up, I thought this would be a good time to look back at the election of 2007 that brought us what has been called the "Eastern Bloc", the "Benker bloc", the "Bloc of 4" etc.
Total votes cast 40,051
Votes for Benker, McCoy, Levison, and Hansen (aka the "Bloc of 4") 18,453 46.1%
Votes for opposing candidates 21,598 53.9%
You're reading that correctly, they didn't get a plurality or majority. I included links to definitions as some in the city don't know the difference. The point is Longmont did not swing blue, or left, like some would like you to believe. The election of Gabe Santos in January 2008 proved that. When voters in Longmont actually show up to vote, leftist, radical, anti-growth, anti-development, anti-religious candidates lose.
When the vote is suppressed, or the system makes it harder for citizens to get involved and engaged (like the incumbent bloc's overly restrictive "fair" campaigns act), candidates like "the bloc" win.
Food for thought...
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