1987 2,104 10,705 19.7%
1989 2,039 11,022 18.5%
1991 3,086 10,944 28.2%
1993 3,737 12,500 29.9%
1995 2,445 15,102 16.2%
In 1991, there were 8 candidates for 3 council seats, which contributed to
greater interest in the election. In 1993, there was a contested mayor's
race, which undoubtedly boosted turnout.
Another interesting comparison is the number of votes that Pam Palmer
and Marshall Comstock received in the previous elections.
Comstock
1991 - 1,992 (the most votes a council candidate ever received in Moscow)
1995 - 1,590
Palmer
1991 - 1,375
1993 - 1,629 (mayor's race)
1995 - 1,446
So Marshall's support actually declined from 1991, while Pam's increased.
Finally, an observation on turnout. The number of registered voters is
always inflated because Idaho has no systematic system for eliminating
the names of people who move away between elections from the registration
lists. So the figures for each year undoubtedly contain the names of
hundreds of people who no longer lived in Moscow at the time of the election
(including many UI students who vote only in presidential elections). Even
so, it's significant that the total for 1995 is nearly 3,000 more than 1993--
which seems at odds with the estimates of city population growth of less
than 1% per year.
Kenton