Historic Low Turnout in Democratic Primary

Only nine percent of voters filled out a ballot in the Democratic primary for governor and dozens of other primaries for state office. That’s a historic low, at least in modern times.

But when it comes to voter turnout, New York has been at the bottom of the ladder compared to other states for decades.

Donald Green, a political science professor at Columbia University, said reforms in other states have encouraged more voters to cast their ballots.

“Three states now have all by-mail balloting, many states have early voting periods, many states have voting centers, allowing voters to vote more or less anywhere in their area,” he said. “These kinds of reforms have been slow in coming to New York State.