Valley turnout was mediocre for the 2024 primary election. Experts weigh in on why voters stayed home
Will voters who were absent in the primary go to the polls in November? See what experts are expecting
By VICTOR A. PATTON
victor@cvlocaljournalism.org
If you know a registered voter in Merced County, chances are that person didn’t bother submitting a ballot for the March 5 primary.
While that may sound discouraging, experts say there’s a good chance it won’t have much bearing on what turnout looks like in November.
According to the Merced County Registrar of Voters, as of 5 p.m. Friday data show about 28.39% of the county’s 128,287 registered voters participated in the primary.
The last time the numbers were that low for a presidential primary was 2012, when 27.02% of Merced County voters participated, according to numbers from the Secretary of State.
Voter turnout was similarly low in other nearby Valley counties, although Merced County was at the bottom of the heap.
As of March 5 turnout for other San Joaquin Valley counties included: Fresno County (29.72%), Stanislaus County (30.25%), Madera County (37.10%) and San Joaquin County (33.8%).
The statewide average for turnout wasn’t much better than the Valley, with 33.6% of registered California voters casting ballots in the 2024 primary election.
The voter turnout numbers in Merced County were higher for the March 2020 and June 2016 presidential primary elections – 43.23% and 42.11% respectively.
Read the rest of this story at The Merced FOCUS website.
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