84.3% turnout.

[KamaAina]

Eighty. Four. Point. Three. Percent. Turnout.

The Scots have set the standard for the rest of us.

[pkdu]

1. As we have throughout history!

A great read...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Scots_Invented_the_Modern_World

[KamaAina]

2. I have that book

Mum, who is half Scottish, got it for me.

[bettyellen]

3. Is that you Jade from BR? LOL.

[KamaAina]

4. ??? My name is Mark and i used to live in NOLA.

[bettyellen]

11. you remind me of a manager I worked with a few years back- she is 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 Scottish!

For a second there, I thought maybe....

[KamaAina]

12. I am 0% Japanese, though I did live in Hawai'i for several years

Also, I am a he. (kama'aina means "local person", literally "child of the land".)

I'm trying to imagine Japanese-Scottish fusion cuisine. Deep-fried udon?

[bettyellen]

14. She had a thing for shortbread- I tell you that. If not for that and the freckles, you'd never know.

[KamaAina]

15. Ah yes, shortbread.

Mom makes it every Christmas. And she sends me some. I used to help her by whipping the butter until it was "light and floofy" (there was a typo in the recipe; it said "light and flufy&quot . I guess Republican Stepdad does that these days.

[FSogol]

5. My turn to guess now; Col Mustard in the Coveratory with the rope!

[Orsino]

6. Amazing how apathy vanishes when substantive issues are put before voters. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

7. +1

[leftstreet]

13. +1

[KamaAina]

17. Substantive issues are put before California voters on every statewide ballot

through the initiative process.

Care to guess what our turnout was for the June primary? Try 25.2%.

[FBaggins]

19. Not even close

Whether or not local municipalities must comply with the Public Records Act and whether the state should borrow money to help house homeless veterans are, no doubt, important to some people...

... but they are not "substantive" compared to "should California remain part of the U.S. - or should it become its own country?"

Care to guess what our turnout was for the June primary? Try 25.2%

For the primary? Seriously?

See #18

[MoonRiver]

20. Not always

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Wow. That's Impressive

Of course, that's nothing compared to Saddam's Iraq. Turn out was 100%. Or else.

[KamaAina]

9. Or Kim Jong-Un's North Korea.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Yeah, That's A Really Involved Populace Too

Or not.

All kidding aside, more than 5 out of every 6 eligible voters turned out. That's is pretty amazing.

[Brigid]

16. They put us to shame.

I have some Scottish ancestry -- but then I have ancestry from all over the British Isles.

[FBaggins]

18. The Scots are hardly that special.

Note that in their last major election (Parliament in 2011)... their turnout was 50%.

Ours was 58%+ in 2012.

In states where major races are perceived to be close... it can be much higher.

This was clearly because of the importance of the issue, the years of attention leading up to it, and the clear difference between the two positions (there are no "Yes in name only" positions)