What was it that kept voters from the polls Tuesday?
The number of registered voters who came out to cast their ballots yesterday hovered at around 20 percent for both Allegheny and Washington counties.
The dry and typically spring weather can't be blamed for the light voter turnout.
So was it apathy? Being disenfranchised with the slate of candidates? Convinced it wasn't worth effort since Romney and Obama were 'going to win' the party nomination anyhow? Not worried about federal and state legislative offices? Unhappy with the tone of politics?
In Allegheny County, which has 888,686 registered voters, a mere 19.34 percent turned out to cast their ballots, according to the county's Division of Elections website. Of those 171,916 voters, 37.26 percent were Republicans, 62.69 were Democrats and .05 percent were nonpartisan voters.
But a higher percentage of registered Republicans turned out to vote compared to registered Democrats. According to unofficial results, 26.37 percent of registered Republicans voted, but only 19.9 percent of Democrats cast their ballots Tuesday.
In 2008, when the last presidential primary was held, voter turnout was 41.51 percent, more than double the percentage voting Tuesday.
Results for Washington County were similar. Only 20.72 percent of the 139,738 registered voters went to the polls yesterday—a mere 28,959 residents, according to the county election office staff.
But the office's website archives show in the last presidential primary, 56,389 of 134,152 registered voters turned out, roughly double the number at 42.03 percent.
Did you vote yesterday? Tell us why you went to the polls in the comments section below.
If you didn't vote, tell us that, too. We're interested in finding out your reasons. And do you plan to vote in November?
I only vote for those I fully support, which is usually not many people at all. I've been registered only to participate in the primary election, but this was my last. I'm so fed up with the two-party system. Could George Washington's words ring more true? "However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." And we allow this to happen out of fear because 'we can't let the other person win.' Forget the cliches, the democracy that has been fought and sacrificed for has been lost. Voting without principle only enables further degradation of the political process. As John Quincy Adams said, “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” While some say those that do not vote waste their vote and have no right to complain, I say the contrary and those that do not vote out of principle cherish their vote and have every right to complain.
It'd be like voting to elect a leader of a club that you don't belong to. If you want to vote in a primary then join a political party.
A good, solid and well-founded answer may go a long way to help address the concerns about open primaries, independents, etc. Anybody?
Maybe I should move somewhere where despotism can be taken whole, without the base alloy of hipocrisy. That is why I dont vote, wont vote, because I know i don't matter.I don't need to feel like I matter. If i do, I only sanction a business whose product I do not want to buy. Their power to abuse is given through your sanctioning of that power, your vote is their power. So for all of these whiners and complainers about government abuses, its your fault if you vote.
Your statement is in direct violation of the law of human nature
Coward.
Since you brought up the ballot initiatives, do you mind doing a little research to see how many independents across the state could vote on a referendum? I'm really curious to know.
Do you think the entrenched players from the two parties would ever let that happen?