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MineralMan

(151,446 posts) Wed Jun 21, 2017, 12:27 PM Jun 2017

Voter Turnout in GA-06 was only 58% [View all]

What that means is that 42% of registered voters in that congressional district did not care who won. 58%. And even more don't care enough to even register to vote.

Low turnout is the essential problem of politics in this country. That is the flaw that skews our elections, one way or another. Low turnout is endemic in our political system, which means that the party that motivates voters to turn out in higher numbers wins.

How can Democrats become that party. That's the real question we all need to answer. How can we fix low turnout?

The answer will vary from place to place and from district to district, but it is the answer we need.

42% of registered voters in GA-06 did not care who won. That's shocking, as far as I'm concerned. We need to fix that before we fix anything else, I think.

The Democratic Party needs to become "The Party That Votes!" Can we do that? If we can, we'll be unbeatable.

ETA: Later turnout information has been provide. I have changed the numbers to reflect that. My position about turnout, though, remains the same.

61 replies

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Voter Turnout in GA-06 was only 58% [View all] MineralMan Jun 2017 OP

Low turnout is common in special elections Gothmog Jun 2017 #1

Yes, I know that. But, what if we could fix that? MineralMan Jun 2017 #4

I don't think you are Phoenix61 Jun 2017 #14

Turnout was 57.97% in GA 6 Cattledog Jun 2017 #33

Thank you. I have corrected the original post. MineralMan Jun 2017 #34

There was an organization that helped with turnout year-round NewJeffCT Jun 2017 #52

That's the reason we lost, not vote tampering, suppression or anything else. We did not GOTV. Hoyt Jun 2017 #2

Hacking voter rolls can't suppress voter turnout totals?!?!? YCHDT Jun 2017 #5

Do you have any evidence people showed up at polls and were told they weren't registered? Otherwise Hoyt Jun 2017 #12

That will take some time to gather like it did in Florida 2000 where 20,00 votes were purged now ... YCHDT Jun 2017 #41

If there names were removed from the rolls, and they showed up to vote, there should have been a lot Hoyt Jun 2017 #45

People weren't in 2000, that's not how humans act when they're disenfranchised to vote ... most will YCHDT Jun 2017 #47

If I had been turned away in 2000, next time, I would check my registration at the very last minute Hoyt Jun 2017 #49

For Florida you're right but that kind of mass purging doesn't happen everywhere and now they YCHDT Jun 2017 #50

I agree it is harder for non-whites to vote in some areas, especially with photo ID, only Hoyt Jun 2017 #51

That's the thing everything being equal they don't have to make it really hard just slightly harder YCHDT Jun 2017 #55

I'm afraid it's going to have to get a whole lot worse. kacekwl Jun 2017 #60

There was a HUGE GOTV effort. They were contacted. They CHOSE not to come out. LBM20 Jun 2017 #6

Yes. They chose. They always choose. MineralMan Jun 2017 #10

Where I live its mostly minority voters and I've never seen a door knock from the DNC where as ... YCHDT Jun 2017 #48

That's a serious oversight. I think there is some complacency by Democrats. In fact, Trump got Hoyt Jun 2017 #53

That's incredibly sad! MineralMan Jun 2017 #61

Yes. I'm afraid you're right. MineralMan Jun 2017 #7

The numbers in your original post put it in perspective. If we had gotten 3% of so of Democrats who Hoyt Jun 2017 #15

It's almost impossible to convince a lot of people of that, though. MineralMan Jun 2017 #17

Agree completely. Hoyt Jun 2017 #19

Well, you know... it was raining.... nt femmocrat Jun 2017 #3

I doubt that mattered, really. MineralMan Jun 2017 #8

I know.. I was being snarky. femmocrat Jun 2017 #11

They had 4 weeks of early voting, 6 weeks of mail in ballots -- why wait until the last day? Hoyt Jun 2017 #16

If Liberals Voted ... DonViejo Jun 2017 #9

NO..the Democratic Party needs to be the party to make BlackCherokee Jun 2017 #13

How are votes "suppressed" if 50% of REGISTERED Democrats didn't even show up at polls? Hoyt Jun 2017 #18

No, it is happening,, it happened to me when I voted in Durham, BlackCherokee Jun 2017 #23

You showed up at a polling place where you had voted in the prior two years, and were turned away? Hoyt Jun 2017 #24

You are not informed because it happened in NC and i was actually on the news after my vote BlackCherokee Jun 2017 #42

But, see, I will tell you to go out and vote. MineralMan Jun 2017 #25

People are starting to think that candidates are selected and not elected and that is why there is BlackCherokee Jun 2017 #43

That's sad. 40%?? awesomerwb1 Jun 2017 #20

You have to motivate people with SPECIFIC examples of how it will make their lives better Lee-Lee Jun 2017 #21

And yet, Trump won with glittering generalities and MineralMan Jun 2017 #27

When a Democrat hasn't won that district since before 1978... yallerdawg Jun 2017 #22

This country is cut into 1/3s Cosmocat Jun 2017 #26

Yes, and it's up to our 1/3 to go convince that other 1/3 MineralMan Jun 2017 #29

There's a whole list of things we can do Danascot Jun 2017 #28

I suggest we start with that 60% of actual registered MineralMan Jun 2017 #30

You left out the #1 thing to do. rgbecker Jun 2017 #31

Sorry but not true. Turnout was 57.97% Cattledog Jun 2017 #32

Thanks for your updated information. MineralMan Jun 2017 #35

I do not get this. I read earlier low turn out was 40% when we thought that was the number. pirateshipdude Jun 2017 #36

Turnout in Minnesota was below that in 2014 and 2010. former9thward Jun 2017 #37

I got the wrong numbers. I've fixed it. MineralMan Jun 2017 #39

Part of the problem is young voters. octoberlib Jun 2017 #38

Well, I always did when I was young. MineralMan Jun 2017 #40

If you are in a gerrymandered district where one party has DeminPennswoods Jun 2017 #44

Well, if 10,000 Democrats who sat home last night had voted, we would have won. Hoyt Jun 2017 #46

This is exactly the mindset of many minority voters here in tne South. BlackCherokee Jun 2017 #54

Yep YCHDT Jun 2017 #56

For the presidential election of 2016 NewJeffCT Jun 2017 #57

In WA and Oregon more than 70% turn out -- because of mail-in voting. pnwmom Jun 2017 #58

I completely agree! MineralMan Jun 2017 #59