Turnout down in Democratic Super Tuesday contests
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Super Tuesday presidential primaries, 2016
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 Date: November 8, 2016 |
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March 2, 2016
Most of the Democratic primaries were not very competitive on Super Tuesday and predictably the turnout was far below previous high marks, which were almost all set in 2008. However, in Massachusetts, where both Clinton and Sanders ran a vigorous race, the turnout was not that far off the state’s 2008 Democratic presidential primary record. But in most of the southern states, where voters could cast ballots in either party’s primary, more were drawn to participate in the GOP contest.
| Super Tuesday Dem primary turnout by state | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Previous high | Year of high turnout | 2016 turnout | % Precincts reporting |
| Alabama | 536,656 | 2008 | 397,890 | 100% |
| Arkansas | 502,617 | 1992 | 213,317 | 95% |
| Georgia | 1,060,851 | 2008 | 753,562 | 99% |
| Massachusetts | 1,258,923 | 2008 | 1,165,848 | 96% |
| Oklahoma | 417,207 | 2008 | 335,554 | 100% |
| Tennessee | 624,764 | 2008 | 371,082 | 99% |
| Texas | 2,874,986 | 2008 | 1,341,125 | 91% |
| Vermont | 154,960 | 2008 | 130,487 | 97% |
| Virginia | 986,203 | 2008 | 783,986 | 100% |
In the two Democratic caucuses on Super Tuesday, which were competitive between Clinton and Sanders, turnout was relatively high. With more than 121,000 caucus-goers, a new record was set in Colorado in 2016.
| Super Tuesday Dem Caucus turnout by state | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Previous high | Year of high turnout | 2016 turnout | % Precincts reporting |
| Colorado | 120,411 | 2008 | 121,596 | 98% |
| Minnesota | 214,066 | 2008 | 185,314 | 86% |
James A. Barnes is a senior writer for Ballotpedia and co-author of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics. He is a member of the CNN Decision Desk and will be helping to project the Democratic and Republican winners throughout the election cycle.
See also
- Super Tuesday presidential primaries, 2016
- Alabama Primary
- Alaska Republican Caucus
- Arkansas Primary
- Colorado Caucuses
- Georgia Primary
- Massachusetts Primary
- Minnesota Caucus
- Oklahoma Primary
- Tennessee Primary
- Texas Primary
- Vermont Primary
- Virginia Primary
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Presidential election, 2016/Polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
- Presidential election, 2016/Straw polls
