Election Officials Explain Significantly Lower Voter Turnout

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Election Officials Explain Significantly Lower Voter Turnout

Election officials say low voter turnout is typical during a primary election but more voters cast ballots this time around than in the last midterm in Indiana.

Dr. Robert Dion, a Political Science professor at the University of Evansville breaks down the trend. “That is because there weren’t people who were running unopposed which doesn’t exactly drive you to the polls so there weren’t a lot of contested races,” says Dion.

Larry Bucshon and Dr. Richard Moss faced off in the 8th Congressional District during Tuesday’s primary. Bucshon took the win, getting 60 percent of the vote, setting up a fight for the seat between Bucshon and William Tanoos in November.

Dr. Dion says, “It is very hard to dislodge an incumbent member of Congress. In his own party, in his own primary so it happens very infrequently.” Democrats had more township races while the Republicans had candidates running for U.S. Senate and State Representative. In the race for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat, Republicans Mike Braun, Luke Messer, and Todd Rokita faced off Tuesday. All of them touted the faced that they see eye to eye with President Trump.

After Braun’s win, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence called him, wishing him well for the matchup with current Senator Joe Donnelly this fall.

“We were watching and we are going to campaign the dickens out of Indiana and there might have been a different word in there and that was great and talked about the journey ahead,” says Braun.

But turnout was low during the primary which is typical. Election officials say more people usually show up for the general election in November. Vanderburgh County Clerk, Carla Hayden says, “Some of that is because Indiana has closed primaries so people have to choose a party. Some people don’t like doing that. They don’t like having to say, “Oh I want the Democrat ballot, or I want the Republican ballot, or they don’t want to have to pick.”

Dr. Dion says between the primary election and the presidential election – the results will create a spur to make people more likely to go out and cast a ballot. He explains, “There’s a little residual excitement left over from the presidential race. A lot of people expected the outcome to be different. As we see from the polls, not everybody is thrilled with the way things are going.”

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