Record Low Turnout in June Primary


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(Sacramento, CA)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Twenty-eight-point-two percent… That’s the lowest turnout for a regularly scheduled election, according to California’s Secretary of State Debra Bowen. She says having the split primary—the Presidential in February and the other in June-- was worth trying. But she says it’s not worth repeating based on last month’s disappointing turnout. Mark Baldassare with the Public Policy Institute of California says the law splitting California’s primary will likely be revisited by state legislators. “Because I don’t think that it’s really in the interest of either of the parties or members of the legislature to have elections where so few voters turn out less than thirty percent…” As for the record high in last month’s election-- nearly fifty-nine percent of voters cast their ballots by mail. That topped the previous record of 46-point nine-percent two years ago.