Primary Voting

[cawacko]

I'll admit, I try to vote in most primaries but there are ones I've missed. Curious everyone else here, anyone have 100% voting record in all primaries?

I was reading California had a 34% turnout (which was low) but other states had a much lower turnout. As the argument goes, the lower the turnout the more partisan/extreme people who vote and thus we get more extreme candidates which makes less people want to vote in the general. Additionally many general elections are essentially fait accompli as to who will win, thus voting in the primary is where the real action is.

People have said we should have a national holiday on election day in Nov. If we're going to go that route seems like the primary would be where that should occur (I'm not suggesting we should do it, just if we were too).

 

[NiftyNiblick]

Biden being unopposed doesn't provide much incentives for Democrats to vote in the presidential primaries, at least.

Nobody is opposing the only candidate running, so what's the point?
If I had the choice of voting for a hard left candidate in the primaries, I would have.
I'd vote for a Sanders or a Warren or even a young AOC (who'll be thirty-five by the election).

Instead, it's either Biden or Trump,
and I certainly will vote in that election.

 

[TOP]

I'll admit, I try to vote in most primaries but there are ones I've missed. Curious everyone else here, anyone have 100% voting record in all primaries?

I was reading California had a 34% turnout (which was low) but other states had a much lower turnout. As the argument goes, the lower the turnout the more partisan/extreme people who vote and thus we get more extreme candidates which makes less people want to vote in the general. Additionally many general elections are essentially fait accompli as to who will win, thus voting in the primary is where the real action is.

People have said we should have a national holiday on election day in Nov. If we're going to go that route seems like the primary would be where that should occur (I'm not suggesting we should do it, just if we were too).

I always vote... I just did on Tuesday as soon as the polls opened... there's a group of us that go we have breakfast and then walk the dogs over...

 

[cawacko]

Biden being unopposed doesn't provide much incentives for Democrats to vote in the presidential primaries, at least.

Nobody is opposing the only candidate running, so what's the point?
If I had the choice of voting for a hard left candidate in the primaries, I would have.
I'd vote for a Sanders or a Warren or even a young AOC (who'll be thirty-five by the election).

Instead, it's either Biden or Trump,
and I certainly will vote in that election.

At least for us, we had a bunch of ballot measures and other local and state issues as well as a Democratic Senate primary (where the winner of the primary is going to win in November). I know the Presidential vote is what drives many people to the polls but local politics often plays just as a big a role in people's day to day lives.

 

[archives]

I'll admit, I try to vote in most primaries but there are ones I've missed. Curious everyone else here, anyone have 100% voting record in all primaries?

I was reading California had a 34% turnout (which was low) but other states had a much lower turnout. As the argument goes, the lower the turnout the more partisan/extreme people who vote and thus we get more extreme candidates which makes less people want to vote in the general. Additionally many general elections are essentially fait accompli as to who will win, thus voting in the primary is where the real action is.

People have said we should have a national holiday on election day in Nov. If we're going to go that route seems like the primary would be where that should occur (I'm not suggesting we should do it, just if we were too).

Depends upon the office and if there are actual choices

You are correct, primaries are easier to win, I have worked on several, the strategy is to deliver the guy who votes in all elections which you can determine by going thru the registration rolls at the local Board of Elections

And on primaries, the one thing I don’t understand is the States that have open primaries, where anyone can vote in any primary. Where I live you have to be belong to that party to vote in their party primary, makes sense, it is the party’s election to determine their candidates, one of the reasons to belong to a political party

 

[cawacko]

Depends upon the office and if there are actual choices

You are correct, primaries are easier to win, I have worked on several, the strategy is to deliver the guy who votes in all elections which you can determine by going thru the registration rolls at the local Board of Elections

And on primaries, the one thing I don’t understand is the States that have open primaries, where anyone can vote in any primary. Where I live you have to be belong to that party to vote in their party primary, makes sense, it is the party’s election to determine their candidates, one of the reasons to belong to a political party

For example, the Democratic primary for our Senate seat was the big battle as the Dem will easily win in Nov. In SF one of the big things is voting for the board members of the DCCC. Now while everyone is of course a Democrat there is a huge fight between moderates and progressives for these seats as the DCCC gives out endorsements in local races and since a lot of people don't follow local politics closely, this endorsement matters.

The complaint we hear here is that primary voters tend to be older and whiter, and even if they are Democrats many of them are home owners so that makes them more 'conservative'.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

At least for us, we had a bunch of ballot measures and other local and state issues as well as a Democratic Senate primary (where the winner of the primary is going to win in November). I know the Presidential vote is what drives many people to the polls but local politics often plays just as a big a role in people's day to day lives.

Agreed that local issues are important.