Low Voter Turnout in Central Brooklyn

U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke, whose district includes Prospect Heights, was never worried about whether or not she would be re-elected. .

It appears her concerns were well placed.

According to the current, unverified tally, slightly over 98,000 people in District 11 voted in . That number is down significantly from the more than 230,000 district residents who voted in 2008.

Clarke won re-election with over 90 percent of the vote, but the 88,645 area residents who cast a ballot for the Democratic congresswoman on Tuesday were still far fewer than the more than 168,000 who supported her in 2008.

Historically, nothing is unique about the lack of interest in Tuesday's election. In 2006, less than 100,000 votes were cast in the district. In 1998, when the Democratic Party unexpectedly gained five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, that figure fell below 85,000.

. Reports from polling stations around Prospect Heights said that lines to vote were short, if they existed at all.

In Brooklyn, and New York state in general, low voter turnout did not hamper : Democrats retained control of the Governor's Mansion, both U.S. Senate seats, the Attorney General's office, and the State Comptroller's office.

However, the lack of enthusiasm would be far more costly for the Democratic Party in other parts of the nation. On Tuesday, the Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives while also chipping away at the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.