Republicans Come Out In Slightly Higher Numbers

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 22) -- GOP voter turnout in the 22 primaries held between New Hampshire's February 20th contest and Super Tuesday on March 12 was higher than in 1988 and 1992, but only modestly so. Roughly 7.4 percent of eligible voters voted, according to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.

The slight increase "was likely due to Pat Buchanan's appeal to working-class, more normally Democratic voters on the issue of economic insecurity," committee director Curtis Gans told the Associated Press. But Gans noted that compared with two decades ago, "the level of interest has declined so significantly."

Just 2.5 percent of Louisiana Republicans bothered to vote. New Hampshire was the highest with 23.9 percent, followed by Oregon at 16.4 percent, North Dakota at 13.5 percent, Vermont at 13.2 percent, and South Dakota at 13.1 percent.

Since Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.) clinched the GOP nomination after winning big in Tuesday's Midwestern primaries, voter turnout could diminish. Still, Gans noted: "Primaries have, compared to general elections, an historic pattern of comparatively low turnout because they are principally for the active and interested of each party."

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