Low Voter Turnout in Kentucky Closed Primary

KENTUCKY PRIMARY
Independent Kentucky 

April 18, 2011

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The final count for voter turnout in the 2011 Kentucky primary election was 10.34%, becoming one of the lowest voter turnouts in Kentucky history.

Two obvious problems affecting voter turnout in Kentucky are a closed primary system and partisan voter registration, which have both been found to restrict voter participation.

Although some members of the Kentucky Legislature and Michael P. W. Lewis, Chairman of Independent Kentucky, have been introducing bills which would allow open primaries, recent attempts have fallen just short of passing.

This afternoon, Lewis met with US Congressman John Yarmuth, who said he believed partisan voter registration was partly to blame for low primary turnout.

Michael Lewis said he was optimistic about the possibility of a national dialog dedicated to open primaries after his meeting with Yarmuth.

“He seemed to concede some of our points, and was very receptive,” said Lewis.

Independent Kentucky remains dedicated to working toward open primaries and non-partisan voter registration for Kentucky and American voters.
# # #

Contact: William Bowe, Communications Director

Phone: 859-536-1537

Email: wrbowe@gmail.com

www.independentkentucky.org


Only 10 percent turn out to cast their votes (By Janet Patton and Jennifer Hewlett, Lexington Herald Leader) That's the lowest turnout in a gubernatorial primary election since 1999, when only 8.6 percent of voters went to the polls. In 2003, 21 percent voted; in 2007, 22 percent voted.

Kentucky Open Primaries Gains Ground

A proposal led by Senator Jimmy Higdon R-Lebanon, passed through legislation yesterday that would allow 200,000 independents to vote in open primaries in the state of Kentucky. Although similar bills have been rejected in the past for fear that voters would switch to independent to sabotage an opposing party's election, a December 31 deadline for registration has been put into effect to avoid this.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Independents could win right to vote in primaries (NECN) The Senate has passed legislation that would allow registered independents to vote in Democratic and Republican primaries. The proposal, championed by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, was approved 23-13 on Thursday.
• Back To The Future In Louisiana (By Sean Sullivan, National Journal/Hotline On Call) It's not often that Republicans and Democrats agree, but the Department of Justice has officially signed off on Louisiana's return to open primaries for federal elections, a move both parties in the state have opposed, albeit for different reasons.
• IT'S OPEN SEASON FOR JANE HARMAN'S SEAT IN THE 36TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (by Bob Morris, CAIVN) So there you have it, a wide open race for a left of center Democrat to win (Sorry Republicans, but you have no chance in the 36th). I lived in Venice for ten years up to 2005. In my opinion, if Bowen runs, she will be very difficult to beat. This will also be one of the first elections in California under the new Top Two open primary system, whereby the two highest vote getters regardless of party face each other in the general election. This could very well mean it will be Bowen vs. Hahn in both the Democratic primary and the general election.

PROPOSITION 14

• On a rail out of town (By Cosmo Garvin and Hugh Biggar, News Review - Sacramento) Daniel Frederick, a Peace and Freedom Party candidate for the 4th Assembly District. is suing the state claiming Proposition 14, approved by voters last year, is unfairly keeping him off the ballot.
• Not an ‘open’ primary - Re “After Doolittle” by Jason Probst (LETTER from Rich Winger, News Review - Sacramento) Proposition 14 sets up a system in California in which the parties don’t have nominees.
• After John Doolittle, the Placer GOP can’t quite get it together (By Jason Probst News Review - Sacramento) “The general gist of it is, for a long time, Doolittle had a very good handle on the district,” said Aaron Park, former member of the Placer County Republican Central Committee. “McClintock is hands-off. He doesn’t want to involve himself in local politics.” The result? A special election to succeed Assemblyman Ted Gaines featuring seven Republicans and one Democrat, Dennis Campanale. The race is even more unpredictable for Republicans because of the state’s newly passed open-primary law, which will select the top two vote getters in the primary to contest the May 3 general election. It’s unlikely, but possible in a heavily Republican district like this, for two GOP candidates to face off in the general.

OBAMA

• Communications Breakdown: Obama Urges World to 'Witness History Unfold' in Egypt and... Mubarak Stays (John Nichols, The Nation)
• A Fork in Road to the White House (By MATT BAI, NY Times) Which path the Republican hopefuls will take depends, perhaps, not only on whether they have an actual governing vision to offer, but also on whether they think the party needs to work to reclaim independent voters at all. Some Republican activists would argue that their huge gains in 2010 prove that, unlike the beleaguered Democrats whom Mr. Clinton rose to lead, they are already philosophically in sync with the broader American electorate.

NEW YORK

• Disgraced former state Sen. Pedro Espada still has to clean up Sanitation summons fines (BOB KAPPSTATTER, NY Daily News) $62,580 - That's the amount in Sanitation summons fines and late fees remaining for illegally slapping 598 campaign posters on light poles during last September's primary campaign, in which Gustavo Rivera clobbered him.
• New Yorkers Hold Rally In Support Of Soundview Clinic (By: Josh Robin, NY1) Espada says for some mysterious reason, $3 million he was promised to relocate across the street has been held up -- maybe because of all the negative attention he's getting.
• Winners & Losers (EXCERPT City Hall News) Charles Barron, Pedro Espada, Kevin Sheekey...