Surprise! Republican turnout up in primaries

Hot Air ^ | MARCH 25, 2012 | ED MORRISSEY

[entropy12]

When I first read the headline from the Washington Post that turnout in the Republican primaries are actually up over 2008 and not depressed as the media has insisted for the last two months, I assumed that the comparison would be off, thanks to the longer, more drawn out process this year. After all, the primaries stopped being meaningful in February in 2008, while we’re heading into April with a fight still on our hands. However, the Post’s Aaron Blake accounts for that, and still concludes that in states which had meaningful primaries in both cycles, Republican turnout in 2012 has still risen over 2008:

[entropy12]

There is no lack of energy on part of GOP voters, as MSM would have you believe.

[Christie at the beach]

My uncle voted yesterday in Louisiana. He said that he was voter # 24, normally he has a 100 number. He got right in and out, no lines. The voter turnouts are going down since Florida even more. I don't believe the msm.

[FoxInSocks]

Activity in Virginia this year was absolutely abysmal, with the great choice of Romney and Paul. And Romney still only got 60 percent.

Far more people turned out in 2008, despite the nomination being basically a foregone conclusion by that early point. Only 270k showed up this year, a decline of almost 50 percent.

[jessduntno]

“There is no lack of energy on part of GOP voters, as MSM would have you believe. “

I might not be energetic in voting for, but I’ll be energetic voting against...

[House Atreides]

I might not be energetic in voting for, but I’ll be energetic voting against...
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My feelings exactly!! Some of you who live in a state where the primary matters (particularly at the Senate level) down ballot, you have additional motivation.

[bicyclerepair]

Yet another election coming where our choices are:

A) a crap sandwich
B) a turd sandwich

[entropy12]

Virginia had practically no contest, so low voter turn out is expected. In LA, Mitt did not do much activity, so Rick was sure to win, and that dampens turnout.

However in hotly contested states such as MI, OH, FL had to have good turnout, if the article is correct.

[JediJones]

Turnout definitely looks like it’s on an uptrend. To really do a proper analysis, you need to differentiate when a state had a caucus or primary last time and switched to the other this time. Caucuses mean lower turnout. You also need to adjust for population. But Louisiana was up a double digit percentage in turnout.

156,101 in LA in 2008.

186,377 in LA in 2012.