On this day before the presidential primary election, there is always a lot of talk about how many people will turn out to vote.
In the last presidential primary, in 2016, a little over 8.5 million people in California voted, or about 47 percent of those eligible.And according to the California Secretary of State’s office, turnout of less than half in presidential primaries is pretty typical.
So expectations are about the same for tomorrow’s California primary election, with more than half not voting.
More people will turn out to vote in the general election in November, they always do.In 2016 presidential election the state of California set a record for turnout of with about 75 percent.
But that means that about 25 percent of people didn’t vote, even with the heightened interest in the contentious race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
In the country as a whole, the average voter turnout in the November 2016 election was just over half, at 55-percent,
So why do all the people who don’t vote in these big elections, not vote?
A study done by the California Public Policy Institute, that looked at elections going back to the year 2000, found that more than half of people in the state say they don’t vote for one of two reasons; a lack of interest or a lack of confidence in elections.
The right to vote in free and open elections has been the key part of our country since the founders signed the Declaration of Independence and the states approved the U.S. Constitution.
That’s something to keep in mind if you’re one of those who are thinking about not voting.
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