The answer? Yes, or almost certainly yes. The record, according to John Wildermuth, is 28%:
In the state's nonpresidential primary last June, nearly 60 percent of the votes came in by mail but total turnout was only 28 percent, the lowest ever for a statewide vote.(SF Chronicle 5/17/09)
From early turnout results, the numbers have been shockingly low. The last numbers I've heard had LA at 6% turnout, even with some municipal elections going on. Those numbers will certainly climb with the post-work rush, but I'm not expecting anything huge.
So...Congratulations Arnold, I'm sure you are very proud of that record.
UPDATE: I meant to include a few resources. Here is the SoS results page. The mobile version here. And if the site goes down, you can check the results on Twitter.
And, more evidence of low turnout. From the LA Times:
By 4 p.m., voter turnout in Los Angeles County was 11.57%. In a comparable statewide election in 2005, turnout had reached 27% by the same time.(LA Times 5/19/09)
UPDATE 2: The thing about this extremely low turnout is that it says that the voters aren't all "enraged" about tax revolution. They just want the politicians to do their job, and they want the Governor to show some real leadership. In other words, they want a functioning government. |
