Clearly, Hudson and Columbia County have changed a great deal in the past decade. But how, exactly?
The 2010 Census figures for Columbia County still aren’t available. But one can get some sense of how a place has changed over the past decade by taking a look at shifts in its voter registration... Below are some simple observations based on a comparison of the Hudson voter rolls in 1999 vs. today in 2011:
• The total number of Hudson voters dropped* by 142 registrants between 1999 vs. 2011.
(Note: In the middle of that decade, voter rolls temporarily swelled over 3,800; but that included a large number of voters who proved to be “inactive,” i.e. still on the rolls but not actually still living in Hudson. These are slowly weeded out by the Board of Elections via mail checks and occasional challenges by candidates.)
• Enrollment in the Democratic party went up by 56% and Independence Party** rolls increased by 93%—while the number of Republicans fell -25% and Conservative enrollment dropped a whopping -73%,
• 51% of all voters in Hudson today have only been registered locally for 10 years or less.
• Meanwhile, only 17% have been registered for 20 years or more.
• The balance of voters in the various Hudson wards has shifted somewhat:
• In 1999, 56% of Hudson voters were female. Today, that number has evened out slightly, falling to 54%.
• 14% (approximately 1 in 7) of those registered to vote have never actually done so.
* Drops in population or voter enrollment are often lamented as a sign of a community in decline, but this analysis often proves too simplistic. For example: Imagine a house in terrible condition, owned by a large extended family which hasn't paid its property tax bill for several years, who have a host of “fence disputes” with their neighbors, and who rent out the basement apartment to known crack dealers for cash. The house gets sold, the back taxes get paid, the problem neighbors use the remaining proceeds to move to another town, and a retired couple renovates the house—in the process, pouring many dollars into the pockets of local contractors such as roofers, electricians, plumbers and painters. In that scenario, a formerly-derelict house is back on the tax rolls, back in good condition, and lived in by people who care about their surroundings. So while the population of the block may have decreased, the block and the City would appear to be better off.
** Many who consider themselves "independent" voters mistakenly enroll as a member of the confusingly-named Independence Party, which is actually a political organization. Those with no party affiliation are recorded by the Board of Elections as "NOP" or "NPE" voters (for No Party or No Party Enrollment).
