Primary Voter Turnout at New Lows (FWD)

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Will the election system end up having only election reform folks being the
voters ???
-----
Date:  Mon, Sep 28, 1998 10:31 PM EDT
From:  SErtelt
Subj:  CAMPEL-L:  Voter Turnout at New lows (news)

Primary Voter Turnout at New Lows

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Overall voter turnout and turnout by Democratic voters
plummeted to their lowest mid-term levels during this year's statewide
election primaries, a new study says.

The study, conducted by the nonpartisan Committee for the Study of the
American Electorate, showed overall citizen mid-term primary voting fell 45
percent and Democratic turnout dropped 52 percent since 1966.

``What we are witnessing is a progressive meltdown in civic engagement, a
major danger to American democracy, and the continuing and progressive decline
in the Democratic Party,'' said Curtis Gans, director of CSAE.

These findings arrive amidst Democratic fears that low November voter turnout,
caused in part by President Clinton's legal difficulties, could cause them to
lose even more ground in the Republican-dominated Congress.

Among the findings:

Overall voter turnout of eligible voters in the 36 statewide primaries in
which both parties had statewide contests fell 10 percent from the last mid-
term elections in 1994.

Of the 39 states which held statewide Democratic primaries, 20 plummeted to
new record lows in terms of voter turnout.

Average Republican turnout dropped by nine percent from 1994.