Could 2014 be the lowest primary turnout to date?
May 26, 2014
Political strategist are projecting the voter turnout for the June 3 primary to be California’s lowest-ever in a primary for governor. [MercuryNews]
With only two top contenders vying to be on the November ticket with Gov. Jerry Brown and general voter apathy, fewer voters are expected to fill out their ballots in this year’s primary. In 1980, more than 50 percent of registered voters participated in the primary, by 2010, that number had fallen to 33 percent.
Corey Cook, the director of the University of San Francisco’s Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, said those likely to vote will be “older, wealthier, whiter, more likely to be homeowners, more educated … and more ideological true believers, not at all reflecting the population of the state.”
New poll numbers from the Public Policy Institute of California show just how unenthusiastic Californians are about this election.
A May 8 through May 15 poll of 901 likely primary voters showed Californians are not engaged in the 2014 primary. Of those surveyed, only 46 percent said they were following news about the candidates for governor closely, a far lower number than the 67 percent in May 2010.
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