As you might have guessed, D.C. voters don’t agree on everything, and when it comes to ice cream flavors, preferences seemed to follow party lines this week in the District's mock election.
Democrats chose chocolate while Republicans overwhelming voted strawberry. The mock election was a rehearsal for the upcoming D.C. primary elections, and actually tested new equipment that will be used for early voting that begins on August 30.
Votes were cast in three locations. Registered voters were issued ballots by party, but in this mock scenario they all actually voted on the same candidates and issues. In this case they were to choose “Best Automobile Manufacturer,” “Best Vocal Artist,” and “Best Ice Cream Flavor.” They also had two ballot issues to decide on -- “are you in favor of a three-day weekend?” and “ Should pay increases be issued every six months?”
Click here for the sample ballot.
Democrats and Republicans didn’t disagree on everything. Out of eight choices, both picked Mercedes as best car manufacturer and Barry White and Billie Holiday as best vocal artists. Green party voters (and there were only two) picked Honda as best car, Patsy Cline as best singer, and were split down the middle on chocolate and vanilla.
Alysoun McLaughlin of the District Board of Elections and Ethics said a brand new “electronic poll book,” which is a laptop computer than connects every voting site that will be used for the upcoming primary, “worked very well.” She credited the new system with catching the two incidents where two registered voters tried to vote twice at different locations.
The D.C. primary, which often decides many of the contests here in Washington, will be held September 14. However, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla will not be on the ballot.
