Alachua County, Florida

[Rob]

This is easily the craziest county result I've ever seen. In 1928, Al Smith carried Alachua with only 35 percent. In second place was Socialist Norman Thomas with 32 percent; in third place was Communist William Foster with 30 percent; and Hoover was fourth with only 2 percent.

This is by far the strongest Communist showing anywhere, ever. It's one of the best Socialist showings as well. This begs the question: what the hell happened there?

[bgwah]

This is easily the craziest county result I've ever seen. In 1928, Al Smith carried Alachua with only 35 percent. In second place was Socialist Norman Thomas with 32 percent; in third place was Communist William Foster with 30 percent; and Hoover was fourth with only 2 percent.

This is by far the strongest Communist showing anywhere, ever. It's one of the best Socialist showings as well. This begs the question: what the hell happened there?

maybe they didn't like catholics

[minionofmidas]

The question has been brought up before.

No answer has ever been forthcoming, though...

[Rob]

If anti-Catholicism was the reason, the county would have gone for Hoover, as so many other solidly Democratic counties did that year. Making the results even stranger is that leftist third parties didn't do well at all before or after 1928.

Another strange thing: the Republican vote plunged from 19 percent in 1924 (when the GOP did poorly in Florida) to Hoover's meager 2 percent in 1928 (when the GOP was strong in Florida); then four years later, in the midst of the Depression, Hoover's vote skyrocketed to 22 percent. How bizarre.

[Alcon]

This does not seem possible. This county contains Gainesville, which back then apparently was a somewhat small town (it's so weird to see Dade County casting like 26,000 votes). I have no reason to believe that, even in 1928, Gainesville was exceptionally different from the surrounding areas.

Which pretty much assures that the results are either mislisted or something seriously freaky happened in the area - the turnout looks normal, though.

[jimrtex]

This does not seem possible. This county contains Gainesville, which back then apparently was a somewhat small town (it's so weird to see Dade County casting like 26,000 votes). I have no reason to believe that, even in 1928, Gainesville was exceptionally different from the surrounding areas.

Which pretty much assures that the results are either mislisted or something seriously freaky happened in the area - the turnout looks normal, though.

The state totals match what the clerk of the House of Representatives has for the election.

In 1972 in Arizona, Pima and Yavapai counties had some sort of ballot misfunction that caused many ballots to be counted for both a major party candidate and Linda Jenness of the Socialist Workers Party.  A court ordered that the ballots be counted for both.  As a consequence, Jenness received 16% and 8% of the vote in Pima and Yavapai, respectively.  30,579 of her 30,945 Arizona votes are from those two counties.  My guess is that something similar happened in Florida.

[Alcon]

This does not seem possible. This county contains Gainesville, which back then apparently was a somewhat small town (it's so weird to see Dade County casting like 26,000 votes). I have no reason to believe that, even in 1928, Gainesville was exceptionally different from the surrounding areas.

Which pretty much assures that the results are either mislisted or something seriously freaky happened in the area - the turnout looks normal, though.

The state totals match what the clerk of the House of Representatives has for the election.

In 1972 in Arizona, Pima and Yavapai counties had some sort of ballot misfunction that caused many ballots to be counted for both a major party candidate and Linda Jenness of the Socialist Workers Party.  A court ordered that the ballots be counted for both.  As a consequence, Jenness received 16% and 8% of the vote in Pima and Yavapai, respectively.  30,579 of her 30,945 Arizona votes are from those two counties.  My guess is that something similar happened in Florida.

Perhaps.  It is also notable that Alachua is alphabetically the first county in Florida. Maybe Dave went backwards, and just assumed the remaining discrepency was Alachua County's results? But that still doesn't explain where the other votes were really from.

[jimrtex]

Perhaps.  It is also notable that Alachua is alphabetically the first county in Florida. Maybe Dave went backwards, and just assumed the remaining discrepency was Alachua County's results? But that still doesn't explain where the other votes were really from.

But it is not only the high number of leftist votes, it is the low number of GOP votes.  (Hoover easily carried Florida by 17%).  And it doesn't make sense to arbitarily take votes away from the first county in the list.

[minionofmidas]

Maybe the Communist and Republican totals were accidentally reversed. In the official tally that is, with all other sources since taking it from there. That would create a result that is still unusual but not utterly weird.

[ElectionAtlas]

Florida in 1928 chose its Presidentital Electors by voting for the individual electors themselves.  There were six electors for each candidate and the canvass of results shows a large difference between the highest and lowest vote for the electors of a given party. 

I spoke with Richard Winger at Ballot Access News about this peculiarity.  He said that the Presidential Electors were typically ordered on the ballot such that those pledged to the Democratic party are listed first.  Thereby, the voters would cast their ballots for the first six (in the case of 1928) electors.  In Alachua County, apparently, the ballot was ordered differently, placing one Socialist and one Communist elector in the first six, resulting in large vote totals for the "highest" elector.  This is one example where the median result of electors would have been a more appropriate measure of support.

Dave

[minionofmidas]

LOL! So they got these votes because people mistook them for Democrats?
Btw, that doesn't explain the low Republican vote.

[Alcon]

LOL! So they got these votes because people mistook them for Democrats?
Btw, that doesn't explain the low Republican vote.

Perhaps the Republican was where the Communist was supposed to be instead?

Thanks for your research, Dave.

[tinman64]

Interesting information for this county.  I wonder if the same situation can also explain the high # of Socialist/Communist votes in other states (didn't NV cast a high percentage of Socialist votes about this time)?

I find the results for Alachua since 1960 interesting as well.  In 1960, the county went for Nixon, while surrounded by a sea of JFK counties on the panhandle!

Jump to 1968.  Alachua was one of only three counties in FL to go for Humphrey.  It was surrounded by a sea of Wallace counties on the panhandle.

Jump to 2000 and 2004.  Alachua voted Dem among a sea of Bush counties!

Any explanations for these trends in Alachua since 1960?

[Rob]

I find the results for Alachua since 1960 interesting as well.  In 1960, the county went for Nixon, while surrounded by a sea of JFK counties on the panhandle!

Jump to 1968.  Alachua was one of only three counties in FL to go for Humphrey.  It was surrounded by a sea of Wallace counties on the panhandle.

Jump to 2000 and 2004.  Alachua voted Dem among a sea of Bush counties!

Any explanations for these trends in Alachua since 1960?

IIRC, Alachua has a large black population. Counties with large numbers of non-voting blacks were fairly likely to vote Republican in 1960 (BTW, Alachua voted for Thurmond in 1948 and Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956) . After the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, blacks could vote in large numbers, making Alachua solidly Democratic.

[jimrtex]

Any explanations for these trends in Alachua since 1960?

University of Florida is in Gainesville.

[minionofmidas]

Any explanations for these trends in Alachua since 1960?

University of Florida is in Gainesville.

Yep, that's it. Liberal city surrounded by conservative rural parts.

[tinman64]

Thanks for the explanation about Alachua.

What about Leon County?  Besides housing the state capitol, what makes it so Democratic in the GOP panhandle?

[jimrtex]

What about Leon County?  Besides housing the state capitol, what makes it so Democratic in the GOP panhandle?

Florida State University and Florida A&M.   It about 30% black.