Democracies die from indifference and neglect.
After Tuesday’s election, democracy in Arizona is on life support and in critical condition.
The most important number from the 2014 election:
“36.42%”
Arizona has always had low voter turnout. But Tuesday’s gubernatorial election was an historically low voter turnout, even for Arizona.
The Voting Age Population Census (VAPC) for Arizona (2013) is 5,009,180 or 75.6% of the population. The Secretary of State reports registered voters for Tuesday’s election totalled only 3,235,963.
2014 Election
Registered Voters: 3,235,963
Ballots Cast: 1,172,686
Voter Turnout: 36.24%.
2010 Election
Registered Voters: 3,146,418
Ballots Cast: 1,750,840
Voter Turnout: 55.65%.
2006 Election
Registered Voters: 2,568,401
Ballots Cast: 1,553,032
Voter Turnout: 60.47%.
2002 Election
Registered Voters: 2,229,180
Ballots Cast: 1,255,615
Voter Turnout: 56.30%.
2002 Election
Registered Voters: 2,229,180
Ballots Cast: 1,255,615
Voter Turnout: 56.30%.
1998 Election
Registered Voters: 2,264,301
Ballots Cast: 1,037,550
Voter Turnout: 45.82%.
1994 Election
Registered Voters: 2,075,332
Ballots Cast: 1,153,724
Voter Turnout: 55.59%.
1990 Election
Registered Voters: 1,859,956
Ballots Cast: 1,094,735
Voter Turnout: 58.86%.
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Turnout was actually 34.4% using VEP (voting eligible population).
But this data does not tell us whether low turnout is advantageous to either the Dems or to the GOP. In ’10 turnout was 41.8% when the GOP tidal wave was massive, resulting in a 2/3 majority for the GOP in the state house & senate. But in ’06 turnout was 39.6%, resulting in a win for Napolitano and an otherwise generally good year for Dems.
All went very well at my. Locaton.
I have learned a lot of good information in this election.
Richard
Low turnout always sends me into fits of depression and disgust. For people to let TV ads keep them from making a decision about our state, etc., is enough to make all the 1776 characters rise up and scream! No taxation without representation. Hah!
36% isn’t the important number. The important number is closer to 24%; that is, 1,172,686 ÷ 5,009,180. (Yes, I know that 5 million figure includes residents who are 18 or older but can’t vote, like me, a Canadian living and working here. But there’s no way that the difference between 5,009,180 voting age population and 3,235,963 registered voters is made up entirely of aliens, legal or otherwise.)
Coming as I do from a country where well over 90% of eligible voters are registered, and where we freak out when voter turnout (ballots cast divided by registered voters) dips below 60% (as has happened only once in 2008), I Just Don’t Get all the crap that surrounds voting and voter registration here in the US. What if the Dem “campaign machines”, instead of dissolving today or tomorrow, start registering new voters Right Now? I imagine a doorstep script for use in Dem-likely neighbourhoods like this:
“Hi there. What did you think of the election results? You think they suck? Yeah, I think they suck too. Did you vote? No? Are you registered? No? Well, you know, there were only X votes between Ducey and DuVal … how’d you like to be one of those X voters who can make a difference next time? I can fill out this registration form for you and make sure you’re all set for 2016!”
why would young people and latinos come out to vote for rich old white men on their ego trips? why was duval putting his grinning face on his signs if not an ego trip? clear out the old gringos from arizona party leadership who’s only claim is that they can raise money from fat cats to pay democrat party salerys! we need young alfredo guetirrez or raul grivjalda’s leading the party clear out the the careerists!
My, my, you are one disgruntled hispanic, aren’t you? If it means so much for your ego to be stroked then make yourself valuable. Maybe if hispanics tried to be more relevant to Democrats they might care more about you. I doubt it because they see you as votes they can take for granted, the same as they do the black vote, so why bother? After all, where else are you going to go? They have a lock on the hispanic vote is a done deal.
You see, what you are talking about is taking the Democrat Party away from the people who own it. YOU are part of subset of that party that should be grateful they are there to represent you…at least that is the historic prevaling thought. How about you start a party of your own? It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. With the current and growing numbers of hispanic voters, it wouldn’t take much until you were running the show on the liberal side and the Democrats would have to come to you. And I mean that seriously. The Democrats could no longer take you for granted and you would have the recognition and respect you are seeking.
Just an idea.
Sounds like Prince’s “Party like It’s 1999”
That’s HORRIBLE turnout. Thanks for the comparison.
Some local Democratic Party pundits have said that the volume and intensity of negative TV ads suppresses turnout because it turns people off. These data sort of reflect that.
They haven’t finished counting yet. It will be a week before we know the actual turnout.